The Night Rider
by WeepingAngelX
Summary: AU. Hiccup ran away from Berk when he was chosen to kill the Monstrous Nightmare and was presumed dead. 6 years later, he returns to Berk to save them from an Outcast invasion. Rated T, but might go up to M. Hiccstrid.
1. Prologue

"I am so leaving." Hiccup said as he walked into the cove, his riding gear ready.  
"Toothless! You and me, Bud. Taking a vacation, forever." Hiccup said with a sigh as Toothless jumped next to him and nuzzled his side affectionately.  
"Hey there Bud. They want me to kill a dragon." Hiccup said to the Night Fury sadly. Toothless whined and nuzzled him again in comfort, knowing he didn't want to kill anything.  
"Don't worry bud, tonight, before Dad gets home, we're gonna head to my room, pack my stuff, and head out. Maybe find an island where we can live in peace." Hiccup said with a sad smile as he scratched Toothless behind the ears. Toothless purred in happiness, both for Hiccup's plan, and being scratched by his rider.

The hours passed and soon enough, it was dark enough for Toothless to blend into the night sky. Hiccup and Toothless flew from the cove to Hiccup's house, in complete silence. They landed on the roof, and Hiccup quickly dismounted his dragon and hopped inside through the window, into his room. He grabbed a basket, and filled it with his belongings: his drawings of Toothless, a spare tailfin, charcoal, paper, his clothes, his tools and his new dagger.

When grabbing his dagger, he accidentally cut his hand, causing blood to drop on the floor. Hissing in pain, he grabbed a bandage and wrapped it around his hand. Toothless, having smelt the blood, rushed into the room to see if his friend was alright. He sighed in relief when he saw it was just a cut. Hiccup patted the dragon on his snout and hooked the basket to the saddle on the Night Fury's back.

"Is too heavy Bud?" Hiccup asked. Toothless nuzzled Hiccup, telling him it was fine. Hiccup nodded and mounted his dragon.  
"Hiccup! I need to talk to you!" Astrid's voice yelled as Hiccup heard the front door open.  
"Crap! Toothless, to the sky!" Hiccup hissed in panic. Toothless nodded and jumped out the window, not noticing the scales he left behind.

* * *

"Hiccup, how did you-" Astrid trailed off as she noticed the blood and scales. Her eyes widened in horror as she picked up one of the scales.  
"No…" She whispered in horror.  
"Night Fury…" She whispered in realisation as tears poured from her eyes. She may have been mad at the boy for besting her in training, but she didn't wish him pain! Much less death!  
"How am I gonna explain this to Stoick?" She asked herself as she wiped her tears away. She usually never cried, but someone she actually cared about was dead, so she'd at least let the tears flow this time. At least no one would see.  
"I will avenge you Hiccup, I promise." She swore with determination in her eyes as she went to tell Gobber. He can then tell Stoick. It's better if the boy's father hears it from someone close.

* * *

"Well Bud, you know any good islands? Far enough away from Berk?" Hiccup asked the dragon, who gave a small hum in response. Hiccup was never the guessing type, but he felt that Toothless said yes, so he clicked the tailfin's pedal, setting into a position where Toothless would control where they go, and just let the dragon fly in the direction he wanted.

About 6 hours later, Toothless landed on an island that was hidden behind a thick cloak of fog.  
"This seems pretty good Bud." Hiccup mused as he looked around the island.  
"Plenty of trees for wood and fruit, mountains for cover, and the Vikings will probably steer clear of the fog." Hiccup stated. Toothless cooed in agreement.  
"Well, I guess we're here to stay then." Hiccup said with a smile. Toothless gave his rider a happy, gummy smile.  
"Now, let's find some shelter." Hiccup said. Toothless nodded and they took off. After about 30 minutes of circling the island, they saw a cave opening on one of the higher spots of the mountains.  
"This could be pretty good." Hiccup said as they landed in the cave.  
"On the off chance this island gets found, one could only get here on a dragon, so it's a good spot to hide." Hiccup reasoned as he took all of the equipment off of Toothless.. Toothless barked in agreement and lay down, but not before warming up the ground beneath him with his fire. Hiccup chuckled and got his blanket out of the basket. He leaned against Toothless, who purred, and covered himself with the blanket. It wasn't long before our heroes fell into the quiet abyss of sleep.

 **A/N: So, thoughts? Any suggestions? I'm considering adding magic to this story. Making Hiccup a Warlock, or a Druid. Thoughts?**

 **BTW, there's a new pole on my profile. Please vote!**


	2. Life on Midnight Isle

**A/N: There's a new pole on my profile! Please vote!**

"A great person has fallen." Gobber said as he fixed a tombstone in place in the cove. It read:

 _Hiccup Haddock III  
Died of immense courage and sacrifice, against a Night Fury  
A son, an apprentice, and a friend  
The potential he had as a warrior will never be forgotten_

"May you rest peacefully, knowing you have taken your rightful place, on the Table of Kings." Gobber concluded the speech. After a moment of silence, the Vikings left the grave, all except 1.

Astrid kneeled in front of the tombstone.  
 _"How could I have allowed that beast to take Hiccup?!"_ she asked herself. She was never going to see his beautiful forest eyes again. She suddenly blushed at that thought.  
"No… I couldn't be…" She whispered as she placed her hand over her racing heart.  
"Do I… Like Hiccup?" She asked herself, thankful that no one was around. In all honesty, she did find Hiccup cute. He wasn't all muscle, no brains like most of the Viking men. He was smart, and he used those smarts to defeat those dragons in training.  
"No, I couldn't have fallen for the Fishbone. He was a nuisance." She convinced herself sternly and got up.  
"But, he didn't deserve this." She said as she looked at the tombstone and her face softened.  
"Hiccup…" She whispered as tears streamed down her face.  
"I will kill all Night Furies." She growled as she wiped her tears away.

* * *

~~Timeskip 1 Month~~

"Yeah Baby!" Hiccup yelled as he and Toothless flew across the ocean, at top speed, towards their island, which they named Midnight Isle. They landed in their cave and Hiccup dismounted Toothless. They were going to go flying again for some fish in about an hour, so Hiccup didn't bother to take the gear off of Toothless. As they were relaxing, they heard a loud squeal as a green terrible Terror flew into the cave.  
"Sharpshot? Everything OK?" Hiccup asked the dragon. Sharpshot just jump around and flailed worriedly, trying to tell Hiccup something.  
"I think he wants us to follow him Bud." Hiccup said. Toothless nodded in agreement and Hiccup mounted him. Sharpshot shot out of the cave, Hiccup and Toothless close behind. They followed the little green dragon, and were horrified by what they found; a red and black Deadly Nadder, who had its wing stuck under a large boulder, no doubt broken.

Hiccup dismounted Toothless, and approached the Nadder, who hissed at him defensively.  
"Hey it's OK. I'm here to help." Hiccup said calmly. Toothless warbled at the Nadder calmly, making the injured dragon calm down, and allow Hiccup to approach. Hiccup looked at the Nadder, and extended his hand. The Nadder sniffed it for a moment before closing its eyes and pressing its snout against Hiccup's hand.  
"Hey there." He said as he petted her. He examined her entire body, and determined it to be female.  
"OK girl, Toothless is going to blast that rock, to make it smaller, and then I'll remove it, OK?" Hiccup asked. The Nadder cooed in response and Hiccup nodded.  
"Toothless, Plasma Blast!" Hiccup instructed. Toothless let out a large ball of purple and blue flame to the boulder, melting most of its mass away. Hiccup picked the boulder up, with minimal difficulty, and put it down, away from the Nadder. He examined the wing, and found that his speculations about it being broken were correct.  
"Your wing is broken." He told they dragon, who gave a slight whine.  
"Don't worry, there are quite a number of caves here, you can rest in one of them until you've recovered." Hiccup said with a smile. The Nadder purred gratefully and nuzzled Hiccup.

"OK, let's head to that mountain over there." Hiccup said as he pointed to the mountain that had his and Toothless' cave. He helped the Nadder stand and the trio walked to the mountain, Sharpshot having gone back to his mate.  
"You're gonna need a name." He said to the Nadder as they approached the mountain. The Nadder tilted her head in thought.  
"What do you think of, Bloodwing? Considering the colour of your wings." Hiccup asked. She purred in happiness and licked Hiccup, who laughed.  
"I sense that you like it." He said as he petted the now named Bloodwing. They stopped in front of the mountain and entered one of the caves of Bloodwing's choice. Hiccup went over to Toothless, grabbed some herbs and bandages from the satchel that was attached to the saddle, and went over to Bloodwing.

"Show me your wing?" He asked. Bloodwing extended her broken wing with a slight wince of pain. Hiccup went over to the wing a took a closer look.  
"OK, I was wrong, it's fractured, not broken." He said as he put the herbs in his mouth, and chewed on them. He spat them out into his hand and rubbed them on the area of the wing that was fractured. Bloodwing winced again, but then sighed in relief.  
"Toothless." Hiccup called, and the Night Fury approached. Hiccup held up a medicine bowl, and Toothless dropped some of his saliva into it. Hiccup chewed on more of the herbs, and then mixed them into the saliva in the bowl, forming green paste.  
"Look, I know this is gross, but Toothless' saliva has healing properties. That, coupled with the herbs, will help you heal in about 2 weeks." Hiccup explained as he placed the bowl in front of Bloodwing, who cringed in disgust, but downed the mixture nonetheless.  
"Good girl." He said as he petted Bloodwing again, who purred gratefully.  
"I'm going to have to give you another dose in a week." He said, making the Nadder groan. Hiccup laughed and went over to Toothless.  
"Don't worry, that will be the last time." He said as he packed away his medical equipment and took out a fish and bottle of water. He gave the fish to Bloodwing, who gulped it down with gusto, and then poured all the water into her mouth.  
"You rest now, I'm sure you've had a long day." He said as he petted Bloodwing once more, and headed to the cave exit.

As he was about to leave, he heard Bloodwing whine. He looked at her, and saw her giving him sad eyes. He chuckled and went back over to Bloodwing. He took his boots off, and leaned against her good wing as she lay down.  
"I'll stay here with you Girl, if that's what you want." He said softly. Bloodwing purred in thanks as she laid her head on Hiccup's lap. Hiccup scratched her under chin, which she thoroughly enjoyed. He noticed Toothless giving him and the Nadder a jealous look.  
"Toothless, she's injured." Hiccup defended. Toothless looked at him for a second, then at Bloodwing's injury and sighed in understanding. He lay down next to Hiccup and Bloodwing, and drifted off into his slumber. It wasn't long before Hiccup did the same.

* * *

"Come on, you know you have to take it." Hiccup said with a frown when Bloodwing didn't want to drink the herb and saliva mixture. Bloodwing made what sounded like gagging sounds. Hiccup rolled his eyes.  
"It's either the medicine, or you take longer to heal." He said with crossed arms. Bloodwing looked at him for a moment and then at the medicine. She groaned in defeat in downed the medicine in 1 gulp. Hiccup smiled.  
"There we go, that wasn't so bad, was it?" He asked her. Bloodwing gave him a half-hearted glare and went to the watering hole outside the cave to wash the taste out of her mouth. Hiccup rolled his eyes and chuckled. He got up and went to one of the nearby caves, where he set up a decent workshop.

"May as well carry on." He said as he put his unfinished dagger in the fire to heat it up. Hiccup had an encounter with a Gronckle 3 days prior, and the Gronckle ate his dagger. Hiccup managed to train the dragon, but his dagger was long gone, and he needed to make a new one. He was able to find a cave that had a decent supply of iron ore, but it was on the other side of the island, so his inventing can be somewhat tedious. As he was working, he heard the familiar flapping of a Gronckle's wings approach.

The blue Gronckle who ate his dagger, whom Hiccup had named Rockspew, flew into the cave, looking sick.  
"Hey there big guy, what's wrong?" He asked as he approached the Gronckle with concern. Rockspew fell to the ground, looking like he wanted to puke, but couldn't.  
"You pigged out on the rocks by the lake, didn't you?" Hiccup asked with a raised eyebrow. Rockspew groaned in response. Hiccup sighed and had the Gronckle roll to his side. He went over to Rockspew's stomach, and tickled the area behind his front leg. Rockspew's stomach growled for a moment, and a large pool of lava shot out of his mouth, destroying 1 of Hiccup's tables. Hiccup sighed as the Gronckle got up.  
"Don't go pigging out again like that." Hiccup instructed. Rockspew gave Hiccup a sheepish nod and flew out of the cave, but not before giving him a grateful lick.

Hiccup went to clean up the mess of lava, but stopped when he took a good look at the lava. Lava is usually orange and yellow, but this lava was mostly orange, with a few specks of yellow and patches of black. Hiccup thought for a moment. He suddenly got an idea. Using a clay bowl, he scooped up some of the strange lava and dropped it into a bucket of water. He picked the hardened lava up with a pair of tongs, and inspected it.  
"Metal." He said with a smile and got to work. He wanted to see what kind of knife this new steel could make.

The steel was surprisingly easy to forge. He finished shaping the blade and quenched it in the water. He pulled the blade out and gave it a swing. He frowned.  
"It's too light, wouldn't hold up in battle." He said with disappointment.  
"It is pretty though, so it'll probably make good ornament." He mused as he looked at the shiny steel. He looked over at a bucket of iron bars he made and shrugged.  
"May as well test its durability." He said and picked 1 of the bars up. He swung the blade, and was mesmerised by the result. The blade cut right through the iron! Hiccup just stared at the blade with amazement.

"OK, I am definitely making myself a sword." He said with excitement as he scooped up more of the lava to make a sword. Being smaller than normal Vikings, Hiccup was weaker, so he couldn't hold a blade very well. But, with this new 'Gronckle Iron' as he named it, he could make a blade that would suit him perfectly. Not to mention the improvements he could make on Toothless' tailfin and other inventions.

After many hours, Hiccup had a brand new Gronckle Iron sword. Carved into the blade were Viking runes that read 'Unity.' Hiccup smiled as he admired his handiwork. The blade was 28in long, thinner than a normal blade, and had a brass guard that Hiccup had casted. He also wrapped the handle in leather that he painted black.  
"A fine blade." Hiccup said in Gobber's voice. He gave a slight giggle at his own joke and sheathed the blade in the scabbard he made for it. He looked outside and saw it was dark. After exiting his workshop, he mounted Toothless, who had been playing with Bloodwing for most of the day, and the 2 flew for their cave. Both of them let out a large yawn and lay down on their beds. Having worked all day, Hiccup was exhausted. He closed his eyes and let out deep sigh.  
"Goodnight Toothless." He muttered.  
 _ **"Goodnight Hiccup."**_ He heard a voice say before he drifted into a deep slumber.


	3. 5 Years Away

**~~Year 1~~**

Hiccup and Toothless were flying through the fog that surrounded their island, on their way to meet Trader Johann, who sails past the fog every month or so. They spotted Johann's ship as he waved at them. Hiccup smiled and landed Toothless on the boat.  
"Master Hiccup! Such a pleasure to see you again." Johann said as he shook Hiccup's hand and petted Toothless. Johann noticed that Hiccup's hair seemed to be black at the tips and his eyes seemed to have changed colour to a light turquoise, but said nothing.  
"Good to see you too Johann." Hiccup replied with a smile.  
"Do you have those daggers you promised?" Johann asked with stars in his eyes. Hiccup chuckled and took a leather strip with 10 daggers made of Gronckle Iron hanging off of it, and gave it to Johann.  
"Brilliant Master Hiccup! Thank you very much!" He exclaimed happily as he inspected the daggers with wonder.  
"Anytime Johann. Though, I won't be able to make any more, since I've almost run out. I need to figure out the formula soon." Hiccup said. Johann nodded.  
"I understand Master Hiccup. I have the leather you requested by the way." Johann suddenly realised as he packed the daggers in a chest. He walked across the ship and grabbed 3 thick rolls of black stained leather, which he then proceeded to give to Hiccup.  
"Thanks Johann. I really needed to make new clothes, and improve Toothless' tail." Hiccup said as he strapped the leather to Toothless' saddle.  
"Of course Master Hiccup. I have something else for you as well." Johann said as he opened a chest nearby. He pulled out 2 bottles.  
"Pure squid ink! Wrestled from the Colossal Squid of the Northern Waters!" Johann said dramatically as he handed Hiccup the 2 bottles.  
"Thanks a ton Johann!" Hiccup said excitedly.  
"Not a problem at all Master Hiccup, the last one I gave you spilt before you could use it, so I gave you another bottle for the trouble." Johann explained with a smile.  
"Thanks a ton." Hiccup said as he put the ink in his satchel.

" _ **Hiccup! Look! A seagull!"**_ Toothless exclaimed. Hiccup looked in the direction his dragon gestured to, and sure enough, there was a seagull flying over the ship. Hiccup chuckled, knowing what Toothless wanted. His bond with Toothless has given him the ability to hear the voices of dragons.  
"What did Toothless say?" Johann asked as Hiccup drew his bow and notched an arrow.  
"He wants the seagull." Hiccup said as he drew the string and aimed. He released the arrow, which went right through the bird, and the bird plummeted. Toothless easily caught it and chewed it before swallowing it whole.  
 _ **"Thank you!"**_ Toothless cheered happily. Hiccup chuckled as he placed his bow back on his back, the arrow having fallen into the ocean.

"That was quite the marksmanship Hiccup." Johann said in awe.  
"Thanks. I've been practising a lot." Hiccup replied with a smile. Johann thought for a moment, and got a brilliant idea.  
"Stay here for a moment Master Hiccup; I have something you might like." Johann said and went below deck to retrieve something. After a few moments, Johann came back holding a beautiful black bow with red fabric wrapped around it.  
"I got this bow from a tribe of archers outside the Archipelago." Johann explained as he handed the bow to Hiccup, who looked at it with awe. Johann also had a quiver with him, and handed 1 of the arrows to Hiccup.  
"Give it a try." Johann said, gesturing to the mast, telling Hiccup to shoot. Hiccup nodded and drew the bow after notching the arrow. It was amazingly easy pull. He released, and the arrow shot right into the mast, sticking out on the other side.  
"You like it?" Johann asked. Hiccup nodded in awe and ran over to Toothless. He searched his satchel, and found an axe head he made of Gronckle Iron. It was good, but not worth enough for the bow and arrows. He then spotted Unity hooked to Toothless' saddle and smiled sadly. He unhooked it, and gave it to Johann.  
"The axe head is for the arrows, Unity is for the bow." Hiccup said with a small smile. He was sad having to part with Unity, but he really wanted the bow. Plus, he had more swords on Midnight Isle.  
"Are you certain Master Hiccup?" Johann asked, reluctantly taking the blades.  
"I'm certain. Just make sure Unity goes to someone worthy?" Hiccup asked. Johann smiled and nodded as he handed Hiccup the quiver of arrows.  
"Of course Master Hiccup, you have my word." He said. Hiccup smiled gratefully and flung the bow and quiver over his back.

"I'll see you next month?" Hiccup asked as he mounted Toothless. Johann shook his head.  
"Sadly Master Hiccup, I have to be somewhere soon, and with all the stops I have to make, I will not be able to come by here for about a year." Johann said.  
"Oh. That's too bad." Hiccup said.  
"Quite Master Hiccup. Though, this will allow me to visit new places, and in the process, get new merchandise." Johann said with a smile, which Hiccup returned.  
"I look forward to it. Is there anything I should have ready for then?" Hiccup asked. Johann thought for a minute.  
"If you manage to discover the formula for Gronckle iron, another sword would be welcome." Johann said. Hiccup nodded.  
"Oh, and perhaps some ingots of the steel, for other blacksmiths to purchase and use." Johann added. Hiccup nodded and took off.  
"Thanks Johann!" He called out as he flew back into the fog.

* * *

 **~~Year 2~~**

"OK, so what stones did you eat that day?" Hiccup asked Rockspew as they stopped at the lake where the Gronckle pigged out. His hair was now mostly black and his eyes were now midnight blue with wide slits.  
 _ **"There was some of this one**_." Rockspew said, gesturing to a cream coloured rock.  
"Sandstone." Hiccup clarified as he put a few of the rocks in a wheelbarrow that he brought.  
 _ **"This one."**_ Rockspew gestured to a grey rock.  
"Iron ore." Hiccup packed some of those rocks.  
 _ **"And this one."**_ Rockspew picked up an orange rock and ate it.  
 _ **"My favourite."**_ He said with a smile.  
"Limestone." Hiccup said as he packed some of those rocks in the wheelbarrow. The pair then headed to Hiccup's forge.

"OK, try some sandstone." Hiccup said, tossing Rockspew a big sandstone rock. Rockspew chewed it, swallowed it, and spewed it, creating bright orange lava. Hiccup poured some water over the lava to harden it, and picked it up with his tongs. He dipped it in water, and it became glass.  
"Useless." He said with scoff and placed the glass aside.  
"Try a combination." Hiccup said. He gave Rockspew a combination of all 3 of the rocks. When Rockspew shot the lava, and Hiccup hardened it, it became metal, but not Gronckle Iron.  
"Too brittle." He said as he dropped the metal and it shattered.

After experimenting for days, they got closer and closer to perfecting the formula.  
"OK so we know there's more limestone than sandstone, and less iron ore than sandstone. Not to mention the Gronckle lava that gets mixed in." Hiccup mused as he went through his notes.  
"Try a bit of sandstone, twice as much limestone, and half as much iron ore." Hiccup suggested. Rockspew nodded and ate according to Hiccup's instructions. He spewed the lava, and Hiccup hardened it.  
"OK, we're getting close. This iron is a bit too soft, try less limestone." Hiccup instructed. This time, Rockspew ate 3 times as much limestone as iron ore, and twice as much sandstone as iron ore. He spewed it, and it made perfect Gronckle Iron.  
"YES!" Hiccup exclaimed in excitement as he quickly went over to his notes.  
"3 parts limestone, 2 parts sandstone, 1 part iron ore, and the Gronckle lava already eaten." Hiccup said as he wrote down the formula.  
"Thanks a ton Rockspew!" Hiccup exclaimed as he petted the Gronckle.  
 _ **"You're welcome."**_ Rockspew said as he purred in happiness at being praised.  
"Time to get to work on Johann's sword." Hiccup mused as he placed the ingot he just made in the forge to heat up.

* * *

 **~~Year 3~~**

"Who'd have thought the Vikings would tie Terrors to their mast?" Hiccup asked Toothless as they flew towards the dragon's nest to stop the Vikings.  
 _ **"I don't know. At least, be glad Johann sent Sharpshot to inform us**_." Toothless replied. Hiccup nodded in agreement and they sped up. Hiccup was now wearing black leather armour, and a black leather cloak with Toothless' scales sewed in, to make it fireproof. He was also wearing a helmet that covered his face, with lenses he made of tinted glass to protect his eyes from the wind and sunlight. **(A/N: His armour in HTTYD2, but black, with a cloak and lenses in the helmet.)**

They made it to the nest, finding the Vikings fighting the Red Death, as Hiccup named it when Toothless brought him here a few months ago.  
"That really is one ugly dragon." Hiccup said, earning a slight chuckle from his dragon. Hiccup looked and saw the Red Death about to fire at a single girl Viking that was bugging the massive beast.  
"Astrid." Hiccup said in panic and urged Toothless to go faster.

As the pair neared the Red Death and prepared to fire, the familiar whistle that is released from Toothless' neck glands could be heard.  
"Night Fury!" A Viking yelled in fear.  
"Get down!" Gobber yelled. As the Night Fury soared by, it shot at the Red Death, much to the surprise of the Vikings, causing it to fall over to the side, in Astrid's direction. Astrid screamed as the beast fell towards her. Hiccup and Toothless swooped in out of nowhere, and swiped Astrid before she was crushed by the Red Death.  
"Did you get her? Please tell me you got her?" Hiccup begged his dragon. Toothless looked underneath himself and saw Astrid dangling on his hind feet, giving the dragon a shocked look.  
Toothless gave her a gummy smile with his tongue flapping, along with a friendly coo.  
 _ **"I got her."**_ He told his rider as they sped towards the Vikings. Toothless dropped Astrid onto her feet and landed, panting with his eyes closed. Many Vikings approached.  
"Are you OK?" Hiccup asked Astrid.  
She said nothing, still bewildered at what she was looking at. A Viking riding a Night Fury! Never in a million years would she have imagined it.  
"Who are you?" She asked the strange man.  
"My name is… Ryder." He said after a pause.  
"Get the Vikings to safety." He instructed Stoick.  
"Let's go Bud." Ryder said to the Night Fury. The Night Fury opened its eyes, revealing forest green, with narrow slits. The Night Fury took off.

"That thing has wings." Hiccup said as the Red Death stood up, glaring at them.  
"OK, let's see if she can use them." He said and drew his bow. He notched an arrow and shot one of the Red Death's eyes, making it roar in pain.  
"What's the matter your majesty? Got something in your eye?" he taunted as he shot another eye.  
 _ **"Insolent insects!"**_ The Red Death bellowed and shot at the pair, completely ignoring the Vikings who were getting away.  
"Come on, fly!" Hiccup hissed to himself as he and Toothless shot up. They turned around and flew straight towards the Red Death. The familiar Fury Whistle, as Hiccup called it, could be heard as they soared towards the beast and shot her.  
"Think that did it?" Hiccup asked Toothless. They both heard the flapping of massive wings.  
 _ **"Apparently so."**_ Toothless remarked as they dodged a blast from the Red Death.  
"Well, she can fly." Hiccup remarked as they were chased through the sea stacks.  
"OK Bud, let's do this." Hiccup said as he and Toothless sped up, soaring past the cheering Vikings with the Red Death close behind.  
"Time to disappear." He said and the pair shot towards the clouds, the Red Death following, and the Vikings just staring in awe.

Toothless and Hiccup were invisible to the Red Death once they got to the clouds. The Red Death looked around for them carefully. The Fury Whistle could be heard, coming from all directions, and Toothless shot at her wings from behind, making her roar in pain. They shot blast after blast, until the Red Death became too angry.  
 _ **"Show yourselves!"**_ She roared and shot a stream of fire in all directions. Toothless dodged the fire expertly.  
"OK, time to see if this works." Hiccup said as he and Toothless streamlined straight down. The Red death saw them and followed with a roar. She narrowed her eyes and prepared to fire, gas forming in her throat.  
"Now!" Hiccup yelled. Toothless turned around and shot a Plasma Blast right down the beast's throat. The blast ignited the gas in her throat and stomach, and flames erupted from between her scales. She saw the ground and let out her wings to slow her descent, but the holes that Toothless blasted extended due to the force. Hiccup and Toothless quickly flew out of her way and towards the Vikings as she plummeted to the ground, and exploded on contact. They landed in front of the Vikings safely, panting heavily.

They were approached by Stoick and the teens from Berk, who were approaching quickly to get a closer look at the Night Fury.  
"Stop!" Stoick ordered the teens, who obeyed.  
"Get off of that beast and let me kill it." Stoick growled to the mysterious dragon rider. He saw a faint blue coming from behind the man's visor.  
"No." He growled back.  
"I will not ask again, dismount." Stoick ordered. The rider pulled his hood down and took the helmet off, revealing all blue eyes with slits for pupils, hair blacker than the Night Fury's scales, and pale skin.  
"I will not allow you to kill my dragon." The man, no, the boy said. He couldn't be older than 18!  
"I am The Night Rider; we will meet again, Stoick the Vast." The Night Rider said before the Night Fury shot up and flew out of sight.

* * *

"Well, this is unexpected." Hiccup mused as he saw a massive flock of dragons following him and Toothless to their island. They stopped and hovered in place to greet their followers, who did as they did.  
"Can I help you?" Hiccup asked an azure Thunderdrum, who appeared to be leading them.  
 _ **"We wish to accompany you, Milords**_." The Thunderdrum responded with a slight bow, shocking Hiccup and Toothless.  
"Um… That's fine, but why did you call us that?" Hiccup asked.  
 _ **"You defeated our Queen, and set us free from her tyranny. That makes you our new Kings."**_ The dragon responded, amused at Hiccup's ignorance.  
"Uh… You can come with us, but we don't want to be kings. How about Leaders? On my Island, all are seen as equals, human or dragon. Despite the fact that I'm the only human." Hiccup explained. The Thunderdrum smiled happily.  
 _ **"I expected nothing less. I can sense the goodness in you. You will make a fine Leader."**_ He said with smile, which Hiccup returned.  
"My name is Hiccup Ryder, what is yours?" Hiccup asked as they all continued their journey to Midnight Isle.  
 _ **"I have none; the Queen never gave us any names."**_ The dragon responded with a frown. Hiccup thought for a moment.  
"How about Thornado? Your kind has the ferocity of a tornado, and your roar has the power of Thor, the God of Thunder, at least, according to the Vikings' lore." Hiccup suggested. The dragon smiled happily.  
 _ **"I like it."**_ Thornado said as they arrived.  
"Welcome to Midnight Isle." Hiccup said as the dragons all landed on the island.  
"This changes everything." Hiccup said with a smile.

* * *

 **~~Year 4~~**

"Ugh, what hit me?" Hiccup asked as he woke up with a splitting headache.  
 _ **"Hiccup!"**_ An excited voice exclaimed and Hiccup felt something wet go over his face.  
"Toothless! You know that doesn't wash out." Hiccup complained, being careful to not bite his tongue with his newly grown fangs. Toothless gave his version of a laugh and continued his licking for a few minutes before stopping.

"What happened?" Hiccup asked his best friend. Toothless gave him a sad look and pulled the blanket off of him, revealing a stump where his left leg used to be.  
 _ **"You were rock climbing, and a rockslide happened. A stone knocked you out, and as you fell to the ground, a large boulder landed on your foot, destroying it."**_ Toothless explained grimly.  
 _ **"I'm sorry Hiccup; I had to chew it off. If I hadn't, it would have gotten infected and you would have died."**_ Toothless said with tears. Hiccup smiled sadly and patted Toothless' snout.  
"It's OK bud, thanks." He said, earning a relieved purr from Toothless.  
"I'll have to make a prosthesis though, that's gonna be hard work." Hiccup mused.  
 _ **"I'll help in any way I can."**_ Toothless said proudly. "  
"Thanks bud." Hicup said with a smile.

"How long was I out?" Hiccup asked as he finally managed to mount Toothless.  
 _ **"3 weeks."**_ Toothless replied as he walked out of their cave.  
"3 weeks?" Hiccup asked in surprise as Toothless climbed down the mountain towards their workshop.  
 _ **"Yes. You lost a lot of blood, and the pain was a lot for you to handle."**_ Toothless said as they entered the workshop. Hiccup nodded and directed Toothless to the desk. He grabbed a notebook and began to design a prosthetic leg.

* * *

 **~~Year 5~~**

"Alright, everybody out, now!" Hiccup exclaimed as he opened the cages on Outcast Island. He heard from Johann that Alvin had dragons trapped in his prison, a lot of them. Hiccup took a massive squad of dragons to invade the Outcasts.  
"I am the Night Rider; my Island is in that direction." Hiccup said, pointing in the direction he and his squad came from.  
"You can make a home there, or you can go wherever you wish." He said to the dragons, who nodded and flew off. Most went to his island, but a few stayed to fight and some went to their previous nests.  
"Is that all of them?" Hiccup asked the last dragon, a Whispering Death, before letting it leave.  
 _ **"No, there is a Skrill who is sick and cannot fly. Beyond her, there are no more."**_ The Whispering Death said. Hiccup nodded and thanked the dragon before running towards the Skrill's cage.

He arrived at the cage and entered. The female dragon growled at him, warning him to stay away.  
"It's alright, I am the Night Rider." He said, approaching slowly. The Skrill relaxed and let him approach. She was covered in scars, and her wings were slashed beyond repair.  
"Let's get you out of here." Hiccup said with a small smile. The Skrill looked at the ground sadly.  
 _ **"Night Rider, I cannot fly, and I am in pain."**_ She said and lifted her wing, revealing a Skrill egg, which looked to be days away from hatching.  
 _ **"Please, take my hatchling and end me. I am too ill to be moved."**_ She pleaded. Hiccup looked at her with wide eyes.  
 _ **"Please Night Rider, end my pain and save my child."**_ She begged, sensing Hiccup's reluctance. Hiccup took his helmet off and nodded with tears in his eyes. He drew his one of his katanas from his back. The blade was pitch black, with no name carved into it. The blade was black because he forged some of Toothless' scales into the billet.  
"I promise, I will raise and love your hatchling as my own." Hiccup swore to the Skrill, who nodded gratefully.  
 _ **"My name is Nightwing. Please tell my child I loved them."**_ Nightwing said and closed her eyes, accepting her fate.  
"I will." Hiccup said and stabbed her through her head, killing her with no pain. He sheathed his blade and picked up the egg. He strapped the egg to Toothless' saddle and they took off for Midnight Isle.

"Well bud, we did it." Hiccup said as he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.  
 _ **"We did it."**_ Toothless repeated happily.  
"Any casualties?" Hiccup asked Thornado, who appeared beside them.  
 _ **"7 Zipplebacks, and 10 Gronckles."**_ Thornado reported sadly. Hiccup sighed sadly.  
 _ **"At least they died for what they believed in."**_ Toothless crooned. Hiccup smiled sadly and nodded in agreement.  
"We have a new addition to the family." Hiccup said, gesturing to the egg on Toothless' saddle.  
 _ **"A Skrill egg?"**_ Thornado asked in bewilderment. Skrills were endangered, there weren't even any on Midnight Isle.  
"Aye. This child's mother was ill and crippled beyond recovery. She begged me to end her pain and save this hatchling." Hiccup said sadly. It was not the first time he killed. He's killed both humans and dragons, but only when it was absolutely necessary. It still ripped him apart on the inside.  
 _ **"I'm sorry."**_ Toothless and Thornado said in unison.  
"It's alright. I promised her I would take care of her hatchling, and I intend to make good on the promise." Hiccup said with determination.

"I thought of a name for my unnamed sword." Hiccup said after an hour of silence.  
"What do you think of 'Nightwing.' It fits doesn't it?" Hiccup asked Toothless.  
 _ **"It does. And you're honoring the hatchling's mother."**_ Toothless said with approval.  
"My thoughts exactly." Hiccup said with a smile. He was already planning to carve the name into the blade. Midnight Isle could already be seen.  
"Let's go to bed, I'm tired." Hiccup said as he and Toothless landed in their cave. Toothless purred in agreement and went to his slab of rock, while Hiccup took the egg to the furnace in the room. He placed the egg in the furnace, set it alight and went to bed.  
"Goodnight Bud." He said, receiving a snore in response. Hiccup chuckled and closed his eyes, falling asleep in a matter of minutes.

 **A/N: I still need votes on my pole! If you don't vote, I won't update! XP**


	4. Invasion

"Take cover!" Hiccup yelled as he jumped into Toothless' wings. Toothless managed to protect Hiccup from the explosion from the Skrill egg. As Toothless let Hiccup go, the pair saw egg fragments everywhere, with electricity sparkling off of them.  
"Well, we've got ourselves a bit of a shocking situation." Hiccup remarked. Toothless groaned and let his head fall to the floor, his paws covering his eyes.  
"Oh come on! It couldn't have been that bad!" Hiccup exclaimed.  
 _ **"It was…"**_ Toothless groaned. Hiccup rolled his eyes at his dragon and approached the egg. He saw the baby Skrill come out from beneath its wings. Hiccup examined the baby and determined it to be female. She was the size of a Terrible Terror, with grey scales, a few blue accents and bright yellow eyes.  
"Hey there, little one." Hiccup whispered to the hatchling gently. The baby backed away a bit, but when she saw Hiccup's dragon-like eyes, she determined him to be safe. She slowly crawled to him as he held his hand out. She sniffed his fingers before nuzzling his hand affectionately.  
"Aw, aren't you just adorable." Hiccup said with a smile as he picked the hatchling up and held her in his arms. She nuzzled his chest and lay down in his arms, falling asleep.  
"I think I'll call her Nightling." Hiccup said with a small smile.  
"What do you think?" he asked Toothless.  
 _ **"It fits."**_ Toothless said with a coo. Hiccup smiled and lied down in his bed, falling asleep with Nightling in his arms.

* * *

~~Timeskip~~

"Come on girl, you can do it!" Hiccup said with encouragement to the baby Skrill. She was trying to climb up a small wall that Hiccup had built for baby dragons to climb and develop their muscles before they fly.  
"Almost there!" He said with excitement as Nightling neared the top. She was barely a foot away from the top when she slipped and fell. She extended her wings and glided down to Hiccup. Her muscles were developed enough to glide small distances, but not enough to fly yet. It's been 6 months since she hatched and she was now the size of a small wolf.  
"Don't worry girl, we'll try again later." Hiccup said with a smile as he picked her up. Being with dragons so long has changed him greatly. He has the strength of a Monstrous Nightmare, the speed of a Speed Stinger, and senses that rival any dragon.  
 _ **"It's just so frustrating."**_ Nightling said in her baby voice that Hiccup simply adored. He wasn't looking forward to her growing up.  
"I know, you'll get it soon enough." He assured, scratching her chin. She purred in happiness at the gesture.

Suddenly, a familiar horn could be heard from the distance.  
"Johann's here!" Hiccup exclaimed with excitement. He gently put Nightling down and grabbed a chest of Gronckle Iron ingots and some other goods before mounting Toothless.  
"Do you want to come with?" he asked Nightling, who looked unsure.  
 _ **"I don't know… Humans are scary…"**_ She said with a slightly scared look. Hiccup chuckled.  
"Don't worry, Johann is a good man. You can trust him. I told him my identity and he hasn't told anyone." Hiccup comforted. Nightling nodded and climbed onto Toothless' back and scootched over to Hiccup, leaning against his back.  
"Hold on." Hiccup said as Toothless took off. The trio flew through the fog and saw Johann's ship on the other side. Hiccup waved at Johann and landed.

"Ah Master Hiccup, my favourite customer!" Johann said as Hiccup dismounted Toothless and shook his hand.  
"You say that to every leader you trade with." Hiccup laughed. Johann laughed as well.  
"Quite right, but you are the only 1 I am truthful with when I say it." Johann laughed. Nightling cooed to Hiccup to get his attention.  
"And who's this?" Johann asked.  
"This is Nightling. I found her as an egg about 6 months ago. Her mother was sick and dying. She begged me to keep her egg safe and…" Hiccup trailed off. Johann nodded in understanding.  
"Well, it is nice to meet you Nightling." Johann said as he approached her.  
"And aren't you a beauty." He said as he held his hand out to her. She cautiously sniffed it before letting him pet her. She purred when scratched her behind her ears.  
 _ **"Hmm… He's nice. I like him."**_ Nightling purred happily.  
"She says she likes you." Hiccup said to Johann.

After chatting for a few minutes, they got to their business.  
"So, what can I do for you Master Hiccup?" Johann asked.  
"Well, I've got those ingots of Gronckle Iron you wanted." Hiccup said, getting the chest from Toothless's saddle and giving it to Johann.  
"There're 10 ingots in there. Each one is enough for a single sword, 4 daggers, or 2 axe heads." Hiccup explained. Johann nodded and thanked him. After about 20 minutes of exploring Johann's goods, Hiccup had some paint, a naginata from Japan, a small barrel of mead, and roll of black leather with a big red Skrill figure painted on it. Hiccup wanted use that leather for a new cloak.

"Pleasure doing business with you, as always Johann." Hiccup said with a smile as he mounted Toothless. Nightling, who had been sitting with Johann, enjoying the attention he gave her, hopped onto to Toothless' back.  
"Master Hiccup?" Johann called before Hiccup took off.  
"Yeah?" He responded. Johann looked at him with a sad look in his eyes.  
"Master Hiccup, I highly recommend you go back to berk and tell them who you are." Johann said. Hiccup's eyes widened at what Johann was suggesting.  
"Your Father, Gobber, and even the other dragon trainees are depressed since you left." Johann said sadly.  
"It's not my fault they think I'm dead." Hiccup said with crossed arms. Johann sighed and nodded.  
"I understand Master Hiccup, but please think about it. Stoick is in terrible condition. He hardly eats, he hardly sleeps, and the Outcasts have been giving Berk trouble in recent times." Johann said grimly.  
"I will not try to force you into anything. Thor knows I can't." Johann laughed. Hiccup also gave a light chuckle.  
"But I think you should know, everyone does miss you, Stoick and Astrid the most." Johann said. Hiccup invisibly rolled his eyes. He didn't believe that last part for a second.  
"I'll think about it." He said. Johann beamed.  
"See ya Johann." Hiccup said and took off. They arrived at the cave and Hiccup lay down, thinking about what Johann said.  
"Do they really miss me?" He asked as he took his helmet off. He recently tied a raven's feather into his hair. It has hanging in front of his right ear. Hiccup continued his musings about Berk and fell asleep with Nightling lying on his torso.

* * *

~~Timeskip~~

"I cannot believe I'm doing this." Hiccup groaned as he, Toothless, and Nightling flew to Berk. Nightling was now the size of a Great Dane, but was technically still a child in terms of a Skrill's concept of time. She could now fly by herself without any trouble. She even flew Hiccup on her back every now and then; she was rather strong.  
 _ **"Hey, if you wanna turn around…"**_ Toothless remarked. Hiccup rolled his eyes.  
"You heard Johann's message. The Outcasts and Berserkers have allied and are going to invade Berk. They need us. As angry as I am at them, I won't let them die." Hiccup said sternly. Nightling flew over to them and nuzzled him comfortingly.  
"Besides, taking a life is hard enough. Letting a life get taken is not something I can do, even if the lives are my old asshole tribe." Hiccup said. Toothless and Nightling nodded in understanding and streamlined their wings to go faster.

After flying for 3 hours, the trio approached Berk, seeing it being invaded by Outcast ships and Berserker ships.  
 _ **"Hiccup look!"**_ Nightling exclaimed, gesturing to the lead ship. Dagur the Deranged was standing on the ship's figure head, holding 2 ropes attached to… A Skrill!?  
"Oh my gods, the stories!" Hiccup said with wide eyes.  
 _ **"Stories?"**_ Toothless asked.  
"When I was a child, Gobber told me stories about the Berserkers attacking their enemies, with a dragon that summoned the power of lightning." Hiccup explained in horror. Nightling groaned in fear.  
"Nightling, I want you hide." Hiccup said sternly. Nightling wanted to protest, but the look in her father figure's eyes left no room for argument. She nodded and flew into the clouds, far enough away from Berk to not be seen, but close enough to watch the battle and rush in if need be.

"OK Bud, let's do this!" Hiccup yelled. Toothless roared and streamlined into a vertical dive, his Fury Whistle echoing in Outcasts', Berserkers', and Berkians' ears alike.  
"Night Fury!" A Berkian yelled. Everyone covered themselves as Toothless shot at the enemy alliance, shocking the Berkians. Hiccup hovered above the Berkians and looked directly at Stoick.  
"You drive the army back; I'll handle Dagur and his Skrill." Hiccup ordered. Stoick growled at him, but complied. He did owe 'Ryder' after all for the Red Death incident. Hiccup flew towards Dagur and shot at him, only for the Skrill to fly up and take Dagur with it. They landed in the centre of the village, away from the army.  
"Hmm… The almighty Night Rider, and his Night Fury, against me: Dagur the Deranged, and his Skrill." Dagur observed. He let out a maniacal laughter.  
"I like those odds." He said and pulled on the ropes. The Skrill roared and shot at Hiccup and Toothless. They dodged the blast, and Hiccup threw 2 throwing knives at the ropes, cutting them.  
"NO!" Dagur bellowed. Hiccup smirked under his helmet and dismounted Toothless.

"OK, how do you like your odds now?" Hiccup taunted as the Skrill flew away. Dagur growled an drew his axe.  
"1 on 1, Night Rider: you and me." He said, gripping his axe tightly. Hiccup smirked and drew his katanas that were on his back. One was pitch black, Nightwing, and the other was white as snow, Cloudwing.  
"Alright then." Hiccup responded, taking a battle stance. Both Hiccup and Dagur noticed the crowd gathering. They witnessed Dagur challenging Hiccup, so they were required by law to not interfere. Dagur let out a battle cry and charged at Hiccup. He swung his axe, and Hiccup blocked it, shattering the blade. Dagur looked at Hiccup with wide eyes, before growling and pulling out 2 daggers. He threw them at Hiccup, who deflected them, shocking Dagur and the crowd. Hiccup rolled his eyes and charged Dagur, stabbing him in the heart.  
"Not much of a knife target anymore, am I Brother?" Hiccup whispered in Dagur's ear. Dagur's eyes widened in realisation as he saw the forest green eyes through the helmet's lenses.  
"Hiccup…" Dagur said inaudibly, before he drew his final breath. Hiccup pulled his blades out of Dagur and sheathed them, only to be restrained and Toothless to be shot at with a bola.

Stoick approached Hiccup and pulled his helmet off, seeing the slitted blue eyes glaring at him.  
"You're going to watch as I kill the beast that killed my son." Stoick growled as he drew his axe. Hiccup snarled, showing his fangs. This unsettled Stoick a bit, but he didn't let it show. He turned around and approached the Night Fury. Hiccup's eyes widened in horror.  
"NO! He's my best friend! Leave him!" Hiccup yelled. Stoick ignored him and stopped in front of the Night Fury.  
"NO! Leave him alone!" Hiccup shrieked as Stoick held his axe up.  
"DAD, STOP!" Hiccup yelled as Stoick swung the axe, tears pouring down his eyes.

 **A/N: Dun dun duuuuun! I am the cliffy master! XP**


	5. Alive

The blade stopped, barely an inch from Toothless' neck. Stoick turned and looked at Hiccup.  
"What did you just call me?" Stoick asked, his voice cracked, and eyes wide. Hiccup shut his eyes tight and concentrated. The Vikings watched in awe as the Night Rider's hair faded from black, to auburn brown, his fangs shrunk, and his skinned tanned, with freckles and a familiar scar appearing. The Night Rider opened his eyes, revealing normal, human, forest green eyes. He looked at Stoick with teary eyes.  
"Dad, it's me. Please don't kill him." Hiccup begged desperately. Stoick looked at the boy before him with wide eyes.  
"Son… You're alive?" Stoick asked as the Vikings restraining Hiccup let him go.  
"Yeah…" Hiccup said quietly, not meeting Stoick's gaze. Stoick approached him and made Hiccup look at him.  
"You've grown Son." Stoick whispered and pulled his son into a bear hug. Hiccup cringed in pain.  
"I may be alive, but I still need air." Hiccup croaked. Stoick realised what he was doing and let go of Hiccup. As he did so, Toothless crooned in pain.  
"Toothless!" Hiccup exclaimed and ran to his dragon.

"Hey, it's OK Bud, I'm here." Hiccup said, hugging Toothless' snout.  
 _ **"Hiccup, my wing."**_ Toothless groaned. Hiccup nodded and held his hand up. Half the Vikings almost screamed when 1 inch long, black claws grew out of Hiccup's finger tips. Hiccup slashed the ropes, retracted his claws and inspected Toothless' wing.  
"It's bruised, Bud, badly. You won't be able to fly until tomorrow." Hiccup said grimly. Toothless groaned.  
 _ **"Brilliant."**_ He said with a sigh. He growled and wrapped his tail around Hiccup protectively when the Dragon trainees approached.  
"Whoa whoa whoa. It's OK Bud." Hiccup said, trying to calm Toothless down. Toothless stopped growling, but continued to glare at the group.  
 _ **"They're the people who abused you."**_ Toothless protested.  
"Not all of them." Hiccup responded.  
 _ **"What of the fat one? He was your friend, and he didn't help. That's just as bad."**_ Toothless reasoned, not taking his eyes off of the trainees.  
"I agree, but, to be fair, he was scared." Hiccup said.  
 _ **"What of the female? You wanted her as your mate and she threw insults at you**_." Toothless growled. Hiccup sighed and rolled his eyes, slightly blushing.  
"You're hopeless." Hiccup said.

"Hiccup? Why are you talking to it?" Stoick asked, confused by the one-sided conversation he just witnessed. Hiccup frowned at Stoick.  
"First of all, 'it' is a 'he,' Dad." Hiccup said, putting quotation marks with his fingers around the word 'it.'  
"Second, I'm talking to him because I can hear dragon's voices." Hiccup said with crossed arms. Stoick just looked more confused.  
"How? Dragons don't have voices. They're mindless beasts!" Stoick protested. Toothless growled at Stoick for the insult.  
"A mindless beast wouldn't have gotten angry at that comment." Hiccup said with a frown. Stoick nodded.  
"Fair point, but how can you understand him?" Stoick asked, bewildered at what he just learnt.  
"My bond with Toothless has changed me, not just mentally, but physically too." Hiccup said, showing his claws.  
"Evidently." He added, proving his point. The entire village gasped.

Hiccup suddenly heard the roar of a Skrill. He looked up and saw the Skrill Dagur had earlier, flying towards him and the Vikings. The Vikings readied their weapons, but Hiccup stopped them from charging the dragon.  
"Stop!" He yelled, getting in between the Vikings and the Skrill. They all stopped in their tracks. Hiccup took a deep breath and closed his eyes. His auburn hair faded into black, his skin turned pale, and fangs could be seen growing in his mouth, if you looked close enough. He opened his eyes, revealing full blue eyes, with narrow slits as pupils. He approached the Skrill.  
"It's OK, I'm a friend, I won't let them hurt you." Hiccup assured the Skrill.  
"I am the Night Rider, what is your name?" Hiccup asked as he got close to the Skrill. The Skrill looked at him with a calculative gaze.  
 _ **"I have no name. I was frozen in ice for decades after crashing in a storm before I could be given one. Those men found me, thawed me out, and imprisoned me."**_ The Skrill responded, eying Hiccup carefully. Hiccup thought for a moment.  
"Well then, I'll call you Icebane, because you conquered the ice that trapped you." Hiccup suggested. The Skrill gave a ghost of a smile that only Hiccup noticed.  
 _ **"Thank you. I like it."**_ Icebane said in a grateful, yet monotonous tone. Hiccup smiled.

"If you fly in that direction, you will find an island with hundreds of dragons living in peace. All are considered equal there." Hiccup said, gesturing to his island's direction with his eyes. The Skrill narrowed his eyes.  
 _ **"You have bonded with many dragons, and have their blood within you. I think I can trust you."**_ Icebane said, and allowed Hiccup to touch his snout. Hiccup smiled.  
"I have a friend you might like." Hiccup said and let out a loud whistle with his thumb and middle finger. After a moment, Nightling flew down, and landed next to Hiccup. Nightling was about 1/4 of the size of Icebane.  
"This is Nightling." Hiccup said, rubbing Nightling's head. Icebane looked at her, and then to Hiccup.  
 _ **"You have raised her since hatching, haven't you? Your scents are all over each other, and she's hardly a year old."**_ Icebane asked. Hiccup nodded as Nightling cautiously approached Icebane.  
"You'll have to forgive her; she's never seen another of her kind before, much less a male." Hiccup explained. Icebane nodded and let Nightling examine him. She determined him to be trustworthy and nuzzled him affectionately, like a big brother.  
"Nightling, would you take Icebane here to Midnight Isle?" Hiccup asked. Nightling looked at Hiccup with a smile.  
 _ **"Sure thing Hiccup!"**_ She said happily; glad to be able to get to know one of her own kind. Hiccup smiled and nodded.  
"Tell Thornado and Moonfang that I'll be gone for a while, Toothless is injured and can't fly." Hiccup said. Nightling nodded and the 2 Skrills took off for Midnight Isle.

"Hiccup, you have some explaining to do." Stoick said sternly. Hiccup sighed.  
"I know. Tomorrow though; I'm tired, it's late, and Toothless is injured. I'll be back at noon tomorrow." Hiccup said sternly. Stoick was about to protest, but Toothless growled at him, so he agreed, albeit reluctantly.  
"Thank you. I'll see you at noon." Hiccup said as he and Toothless walked into the forest.  
 _ **"I don't like this Hiccup."**_ Toothless said to his rider as the duo arrived at the cove.  
"I know Bud, neither do I." Hiccup responded, deep in thought.  
"It's not that bad though. Once we're done here, we'll fly off. Not like they can stop us." Hiccup said with a chuckle. Toothless gave a light chuckle too.  
 _ **"You and I both know how stubborn Vikings can be. Your sire and mate probably won't let us leave without some form of conflict."**_ Toothless reasoned. Hiccup blushed heavily.  
"She's not my mate." Hiccup mumbled, looking like a tomato. Toothless gave a slight laugh.  
"Just go to sleep." Hiccup hissed as he lay down on the grass. Toothless laughed again and lay down next to Hiccup, draping his good wing over his rider.

* * *

Stoick paced around in his house, absorbing what he'd witnessed tonight. His son was alive! Not just alive, but also some kind of dragon-boy! Stoick was relieved, bewildered, ecstatic, and enraged all at once! How could his son through his lot in with those beasts?! Stoick conceded that the dragons were at least a little more intelligent than the Vikings initially thought, but that doesn't change what they've done! They took his wife for Thor's sake! Hiccup's mother! Stoick sighed. He will have to talk some sense into his boy in the morning. Then again, perhaps he should hear Hiccup's story first. Get some insight as to why Hiccup loves the dragons so much. Then Stoick would decide what to do about the Night Fury.

* * *

Hiccup yawned and stretched as he woke up to the sun shining. He sat up and looked around, seeing Toothless approaching with 6 fish in his mouth. He dropped them by Hiccup and gave him a gummy smile. Hiccup laughed and took one of the fish, while Toothless ate the others. Hiccup set up a small fire and had Toothless light it. He scaled and gutted the fish before cooking it over the fire. He ate the fish and looked at Toothless, who was giving him a hopeful look. Hiccup chuckled.  
"You wanna go flying Bud?" Hiccup asked with a raised eyebrow.  
 _ **"Duh."**_ Toothless said with a chuckle. Hiccup rolled his eyes and mounted the dragon.  
"You sure your wing is OK?" Hiccup asked as he put his helmet on. Toothless just cooed and shot up.  
 _ **"That answer your question?"**_ Toothless asked sarcastically. Hiccup rolled his eyes.

The duo flew just inches above the ocean, Toothless' Fury Whistle echoing in the distance. They sped up and flew over and under a few Thunderdrums with a few spins and stunts.  
"Yeah!" Hiccup yelled as they shot under a Thunderdrum that was hopping in and out of the water like a dolphin. They started to build up altitude towards the clouds. Toothless flew through the clouds in erratic patterns of twists, turns, drops, and such, until they stopped and saw a herd of migrating Timberjacks.

"So what do you think Bud? You wanna give this another shot?" Hiccup asked, patting the dragon's neck. Toothless stiffened and then groaned.  
"Toothless, it'll be fine." Hiccup comforted with a smug smile under his mask. He set Toothless' tailfin to lock in place, and disconnected his safety rope.  
"You ready?" Hiccup asked. Toothless warbled in response. Hiccup nodded, and let himself fall the side, screaming in delight as fell.  
"Yeah!" He yelled in excitement as he picked speed. Toothless streamlined down right next to Hiccup. The duo was twirling around each other as they plummeted. Hiccup looked at Toothless, who gave a gummy smile, his tongue hanging and flapping.

As the pair neared the ocean, Hiccup placed his wrists in the leather hoops that were connected to his legs, and pulled, revealing artificial leather wings. Toothless let his wings out, and the pair glided side by side. Hiccup flipped a switch on his armour, and an artificial fin unfolded on his back, making his gliding smoother. As the pair soared through the air, Toothless shot Plasma Blasts in front of Hiccup, which exploded, generating force to keep Hiccup in the air.  
"This is amazing!" Hiccup exclaimed in delight. Suddenly, he flew out of the clouds, and saw Berk beneath him. He and Toothless flew right over the village, and towards the forest.  
"No longer amazing!" Hiccup yelled in fright as he flew straight towards a massive tree.  
"Toothless!" Hiccup called. Luckily, Toothless managed to catch up just in the nick of time and surround Hiccup with his wings protectively, and the pair crashed into the tree, and fell on the edge of the cliff over the village.

"Whew! That tree really came out of nowhere!" Hiccup said with a laugh as he got up. He cringed when the tree he crashed into fell over and destroyed Spitelout's empty storage house.  
"Yeah, we really need to work on your solo gliding there Bud. That locked up tail makes for some pretty sloppy rescue manuevers." Hiccup mused and took his helmet off. As Hiccup looked at the village over the cliff, Toothless threw a stone at his head and huffed.  
"Oh what? Do you want an apology?" Hiccup asked his dragon with a smug smile.  
"Is that why you're pouting Big-Baby-Boo?" Hiccup teased. Toothless said nothing and gave Hiccup an eyeroll and a huff. Hiccup smirked.  
"Well try this!" he said and latched onto Toothless' neck.  
"You feeling it? You picking up on all my heartfelt remorse?" Hiccup asked as Toothless stood up on his hind legs and wobbled to the edge of the cliff.  
"Oh come on, you wouldn't hurt a one-legged- AH!" Hiccup screamed in fright as he noticed Toothless dangling him over the edge, making Toothless laugh.  
"OK! OK! You're right! You win!" Hiccup surrendered. Toothless let out a satisfied coo and fell back, rolled Hiccup over onto his back and pinning him down by the chest. Neither of them noticed the audience they had.

"He's down, and it's ugly!" Hiccup exclaimed.  
"Hiccup and Toothless! Enemies again! Locked in combat!" Hiccup yelled playfully as Toothless batted at him like a cat. Toothless suddenly let his head fall onto Hiccup's chest, making Hiccup release an exaggerated groan of defeat. Out of nowhere, Toothless started licking Hiccup vigorously.  
"Toothless!" Hiccup groaned as he rolled back, out of the Night Fury's tongue's reach.  
"You know that doesn't wash out!" He scolded as he shook the saliva off, only to receive Toothless' version of a laugh in return. Hiccup glared at the dragon and flung some of the saliva from his hands into Toothless' face. Toothless glared back and rubbed his front paw over his face to clean it, again, like a cat. Hiccup laughed at the sight. Suddenly, Hiccup heard a 'swishing' sound approaching Toothless. He jumped in front of the dragon and caught the axe that was thrown.  
"Try that again, I dare you." Hiccup said to the hidden attackers with a glare.  
"You'll end up like Dagur." He added and snapped the axe in half.  
"My axe!" A female voice yelled from the bushes. A figure emerged from the bushes, wearing a blue vest, a spiked skirt, and steel shoulder pads. Bright blue eyes were glaring at Hiccup from behind bangs of blond hair.  
"Astrid." Hiccup greeted with a smirk.

 **A/N: So, Hiccup and Astrid finally speak! What's gonna happen?**

 **BTW, no reviews = no updates, so review! Please?**


	6. Explanations

"Astrid." Hiccup greeted with a smirk. He threw the split axe in front of her feet.  
"Why did you break my axe?" She hissed angrily. Hiccup glared at her.  
"Because you threw it at my best friend." Hiccup responded as the other teens emerged from the bushes. Astrid scoffed.  
"Hiccup, that's a Night Fury!" She protested. Hiccup rolled his eyes.  
"You don't fuckin say." He responded sarcastically.  
"I never noticed. All this time, I thought he was a black horse with wings." Hiccup ranted, giving the gang an 'are you serious' look.  
"Why are you defending it?" Astrid hissed. Hiccup rolled his eyes again.  
"I told you, he's my best friend!" Hiccup responded in a raised voice.  
"But it's a Night Fury!" Astrid protested, again.  
"Is this going to become a vicious circle?" Hiccup asked with a deadpanned look. Astrid glared at him and he sighed.

"Listen, I've been living with Toothless for 6 years. He's done more for me than any Viking ever has. If you try to hurt him again, you'll end up like Dagur." Hiccup growled angrily.  
"Is that a threat?" Astrid hissed.  
"No, it's a promise." Hiccup said, his eyes turning blue and slitted. The gang gasped in fear at what they saw. Hiccup smirked at them.  
"What's the matter? Afraid of my appearance?" He teased. Astrid shook it off and scowled.  
"I'm Fearless Astrid Hofferson, I don't get afraid." She said confidently, though she was shivering on the inside. Hiccup chuckled darkly.  
"I seem to recall the same words coming from another Hofferson." Hiccup taunted. Astrid growled, knowing what he was implying.  
"Leave my Uncle Finn out of this!" She exclaimed in anger. Hiccup smirked and pulled something out of a small pouch on his belt.  
"Let's see how fearless you are after this!" He exclaimed and threw the contents at the ground in front of Astrid. Flightmare Algae. Even during the day, it glowed.

Astrid saw the algae and backed away in fear. She stopped and fell to her butt when she hit a tree. Hiccup approached and kneeled to her eye level, turning into his dragon appearance.  
"I could have 10 Flightmares here in 6 hours if I wanted to. Don't test me Astrid." Hiccup said with a terrifying calm in his voice. Astrid nodded, completely terrified. Hiccup stood up straight, his gaze not leaving Astrid's eyes. He snapped his fingers, and the algae burst into flames. When the flames died down seconds later, the algae was gone. The entire gang just looked at Hiccup with wide eyes.  
"That… WAS AWESOME!" Tuffnut yelled.  
"Do it again!" Ruffnut yelled. Hiccup scoffed and rolled his eyes.  
"Some things never change." He mumbled under his breath.  
"Toothless, come on Bud. It's almost noon." He said to the dragon, who cooed in response and followed Hiccup towards the village, leaving the gang completely flabbergasted.

"Did you see that? He just snapped his fingers, and the algae burst into flames! What was that?" Fishlegs asked in a scared, yet excited tone.  
"Heh, it was probably a trick. He's called 'Hiccup the Useless' for a reason." Snotlout said with crossed arms and an arrogant smirk. Astrid shook herself out of her daze and stood up.  
"I don't care what it was. I'm going to kill him for that." She growled and picked up the pieces of her axe.  
"Right. Flightmare Algae; the bane of any Hofferson." Snotlout mused. Astrid shrieked in anger and threw the blade of her axe at Snotlout, just missing his head by an inch as the blade flew over the cliff and into the ocean. Snotlout looked petrified. Astrid huffed angrily and turned towards the village. Tuffnut put his hand on Snotlout's shoulder.  
"My friend, I am sad to be the one to say, you will not be having children." Tuffnut said apologetically. Snoutlout didn't move, knowing Tuff was probably right.

* * *

"Well, here goes Bud. Wish me luck." Hiccup said to his dragon as he approached his old house.  
 _ **"I want to go in with you."**_ Toothless said sternly. Hiccup sighed.  
"I know Bud, but Stoick won't let you in, you know that." Hiccup said. Toothless huffed in frustration, but surrendered. Hiccup took a deep breath, turned to his human self, and entered the house, finding Astrid the rest of the gang waiting for him with Stoick.  
 _"How did they get here before me?"_ He thought but shrugged it off. Hiccup walked over to them and sat on the chair across from the group.  
"So, where do you want me start?" Hiccup asked.  
"When did you befriend the Night Fury?" Stoick asked. Hiccup took a deep breath and began talking.  
"I was telling the truth when I said I shot a Night Fury down. After you had Gobber drag me back to the house, I snuck out and found him, tied up in the bolas, still alive." Hiccup said and took a sip of the water he was given.  
"I had every intention of killing him, but when I looked into his eyes, I couldn't." Hiccup said.  
"Why not?" Stoick asked curiously. Hiccup sighed.  
"Because he looked just as frightened as I was." Hiccup said, not noticing his hair turning black.  
"I looked at him, and I saw myself." He said.  
"Uh Hiccup, your hair." Fishlegs said in fascination. Hiccup looked in a nearby mirror.  
"Oh. Oops. Sorry, that happens when I get emotional or deep in thought." Hiccup explained as he took his human appearance back. Stoick nodded, still unsettled by his son's transformation.

"Anyway, I let him go, and found him in the cove with a missing tailfin. After I interacted with him a bit, I started making his prosthesis. And, after a few failures, I perfected the design." Hiccup said.  
"During my time with him, I learnt a lot about dragons. They hate eels, they love shiny things, they fall asleep if you scratch under their cheek in the right spot, and so much more. I used that knowledge in dragon training. But…" Hiccup's breath hitched. He cleared his throat and drank some water.  
"I was chosen to kill the Monstrous Nightmare. My bond with Toothless wouldn't let me do that. So, I went to the cove, waited with Toothless until nightfall, flew him here and took off after I packed my things. I accidently cut myself when I grabbed my dagger, and the scales were loose when Toothless flew through the window." Hiccup explained. Stoick just sat on his chair, an emotionless expression on his face.  
"After a few hours, we landed on my island, Midnight Isle. I stayed there for the most part, only leaving to explore, buy food and supplies from villages and Trader Johann, who told me about your Outcast/Berserker alliance problem 3 days ago. I flew here to help, and the rest is history." Hiccup finished and drank the last of his water.

"Wow…" Fishlegs said with wide eyes.  
"So much has happened to you." Tuffnut said in awe.  
"You even got hot. Me likey." Ruffnut murmured with a dreamy look. Hiccup blushed in embarrassment. Stoick let his stoic demeanour down for a minute to let out a chuckle.  
"Now, what is this transformation you've gone through?" Stoick asked. Hiccup licked his lips and continued speaking.  
"There are 2 types of Dragon Riders; normal people who ride dragons because they let them, and true Dragon Riders. I am one the latter, the only one. I have taught a few others to ride dragons, but none of them end up getting this." Hiccup said and took off his left glove, showing the back of his hand. The gang gasped at what they saw; a burn scar on his hand, shaped like a dragon that was curled into a fiery spiral. At first glance, it looked like a tattoo, but upon closer inspection, it was obvious that it was a burn scar.  
"This is the Dreki Insignia. It marks me as a true Dragon Rider. About a month after I left, Toothless burned me while I was asleep. He felt that it was time I became what I was always meant to be: a Dragon Rider." Hiccup explained as he put his glove back on.  
"Toothless' mark has given me abilities beyond any human being. I have the speed of Speed Stinger, the strength of a Monstrous Nightmare, the agility of a Night Fury, enhanced senses, dragon vision, and the ability to use magic." Hiccup said. The room was quiet for a moment before Snotlout decided to burst out laughing.

"You expect me to believe you're as strong as a Monstrous Nightmare, Fishbone?" Snotlout sneered.  
"I do." Hiccup responded calmly. Snotlout just laughed more.  
"As if you, 'Hiccup the Useless,' can be as strong as a dragon." Snotlout laughed and crossed his arms with a smirk. Both Hiccup and Stoick wanted to hit Snotlout, but didn't. Instead, Hiccup smirked and walked towards the wall, which was made of stone. Hiccup took a deep breath, and, faster than anyone could see, punched a hole right through the stone wall. Everyone in the room had their jaws hitting the ground. Hiccup smirked at their reactions.  
"A-a-a-a-and magic?" Fishlegs asked in a mix of fear and amazement. Hiccup looked at the unlit candles on the table.  
"Incendia." He whispered. His forest green irises flashed yellow for a second, and the candles lit up in purple flames. After a few seconds, they turned into normal orange flames.

"Any other questions?" Hiccup asked with a grin as he sat down. Stoick shook his surprise off and asked one more question.  
"What do you intend to do now?" he asked. Hiccup sighed.  
"I'm going to say hi to Gobber and Gothi, the only people who didn't torment or shun me, and then I'm going home." Hiccup answered.  
"Son, this is your home." Stoick said. Hiccup glared at him.  
"No, it's not. This was never a home to me, and you were never a father to me." Hiccup shot back. Stoick widened his eyes at his son's words.  
"Did you ever do anything to stop the torment I went through? The beatings from Snotlout and the twins? The insults thrown at me by the entire village? Did you even know they called me 'Hiccup the Useless,' and other names?" Hiccup hissed harshly. Stoick was at a loss for words. Had all that really happened?  
"You made me Gobber's Apprentice when I was 6, just so you didn't have to deal with me. You ignored me because I was never big and strong like most Vikings. You never took care of me when I was sick, Gobber did." Hiccup said, his eyes turning blue and slitted. Stoick felt awful. Had he really been such a horrible father?  
"Did you know that when I was 5, all I ever wanted, the one thing I could only dream of, wasn't to be a Viking, it wasn't to be accepted by the village, it wasn't even to meet my mother. The only thing I ever wanted as 5 year old was for my father to read me a bedtime story." Hiccup said with angry tears streaming down his face as his dragon appearance took over. Stoick's eyes widened at Hiccup's statement.  
"Stupid right? At that age, Viking children usually dream of being warriors, defending their village and families, and stuff like that. Me? I just wanted my neglectful father to read me a story before bed, something he never did." Hiccup said as he wiped his tears away and got up.  
"I've said my piece. I have no questions for you. I'm leaving now." Hiccup said and walked away.

As Hiccup neared the door, a child's scream could be heard. Hiccup rushed out the door and found a little girl with black hair and blue eyes, about 2 - 3 years old, kneeled down, clutching her leg. A European Adder was wriggling around a few feet in front of her.  
"Toothless! Plasma Blast!" Hiccup instructed the Night Fury. Toothless roared and shot a purple burst of flames at the serpent, killing it. Hiccup went over to the girl and held her, turning back into his human self, so as to not scare the girl.  
"Shh… It's OK, it's OK. The snake is fried." He said as the girl sobbed into his shoulder.  
"Where did he bite you?" Hiccup asked the girl. She showed him her right leg, a bite mark clearly visible above her ankle.  
"Stay here for a minute, OK?" Hiccup asked the girl. She nodded yes and Hiccup set her down on the ground. He ran over to Toothless and pulled out a mortar and pestle, a few herbs, and had Toothless drop some of his saliva into a bottle. Hiccup rushed back to the girl and got to work. He chewed on the plants, and spat them into the bowl. He crushed the herbs, mixed in Toothless' saliva, making a green and yellow paste.  
"OK little one, this is going to sting, but it'll make you feel better, OK?" Hiccup said to the girl, who nodded with teary eyes. Neither of them paid any attention to the crowd that had formed. Hiccup rubbed half of the paste onto the bite. The girl hissed in pain, but held still, and sighed in relief when Hiccup wrapped a piece of leather around the wound.  
"OK, I know this gross, but you have to eat the rest. It'll help with the poison." Hiccup said to the girl, who cringed in disgust, but did as she was told. Hiccup laughed at the face she made.  
"Yucky!" the girl exclaimed as she swallowed the paste. Hiccup let out a chuckle and pulled a biscuit out of the satchel he kept with him. He gave it to the girl, who smiled gratefully and ate the biscuit.  
"Mmm, sweet and crunchy." She said with a smile and devoured the biscuit. Hiccup chuckled at the girl; she was so cute. The girl saw Toothless and Hiccup noticed the look of wonder in her eyes. He smiled and picked the girl up bridal style.

"Do you wanna say hi to the dragon?" Hiccup asked. The girl looked reluctant, but nodded. Hiccup smiled and walked over to Toothless.  
"My name is Hiccup. What's yours?" he asked the girl. She smiled at him.  
"Freya." She said.  
"A pretty name for a pretty little girl." Hiccup said as he stopped in front of Toothless.  
"Freya, this is Toothless. Toothless, Freya." Hiccup introduced. Freya looked a bit frightened, but didn't make any gesture that said she wanted to get away. Toothless gave the girl a gummy smile, making the girl giggle. She reached out a hand, and Toothless happily let her pet him. She giggled more as Hiccup put her down on the ground, and Toothless batted at her playfully like a cat, making her laugh ecstatically. The entire village was in awe at what they were seeing; a dragon, a Night Fury, PLAYING with a little girl.  
"Be careful bud, she's still hurt." Hiccup warned.  
 _ **"Will do!"**_ Toothless said with a smile and continued to play with Freya.

"Hiccup." A voice said. Hiccup turned and saw Stoick, looking at him with sad eyes. Hiccup glared at Stoick and crossed his arms.  
"You have something to say?" Hiccup asked. Stoick sighed sadly and nodded.  
"Son, I wanted to say, I'm sorry, for everything." Stoick said with a shameful look. Hiccup's eyes widened at Stoick's apology.  
"I'm sorry for never being a father to you, for neglecting you, and for almost killing your dragon last night." Stoick said, looking his son in the eyes.  
"Well, in your defence, you thought he killed me, so I can look past that." Hiccup said. Stoick beamed at him slightly.  
"Son, I won't ask you to stay, I know you have a life out there." Stoick said, gesturing to the ocean. Hiccup nodded.  
"But, Snoggletog is in 3 weeks, will you stay until after?" Stoick asked. He genuinely wanted Hiccup to stay for Snoggletog. Hiccup decided to give his father a chance. He gave a small smile and nodded.  
"Sure. But, I have a few terms." Hiccup said. Stoick nodded and gestured for him go on.  
"First, I will be sleeping in the cove. Second, nobody is to harm my or any dragon." Hiccup said sternly. Stoick nodded in agreement.  
"And lastly, you know the baby Skrill I had with me yesterday?" Hiccup asked. Stoick nodded.  
"I've raised her as my own since she hatched. She doesn't like being away from me for too long. It's only a matter of time before she comes back. I want to be certain she will be safe here." Hiccup said with narrowed eyes. Stoick nodded and placed his hand over his heart.  
"On my word as chief, your dragons will come to no harm. Is that clear?" Stoick asked the villagers.  
"Aye Chief!" Most of them responded. Hiccup smiled.  
"Then I'll stay until after Snoggletog." Hiccup said. Stoick smiled gratefully.

"Uh, Mister? How do you get this stuff out?" Freya asked Hiccup as she crawled to his legs. Hiccup noticed she was covered in dragon slobber.  
"Toothless, you know that doesn't wash out." Hiccup said to the dragon with a slight glare. Toothless just gave his version of a laugh.  
"Did he just laugh?" Stoick asked Hiccup in awe. Hiccup nodded, pleasantly surprised that Stoick called Toothless a 'he' rather than an 'it.' Suddenly, Hiccup felt 2 strong arms wrap him into a bear hug.  
"Hiccup!" Gobber's voice exclaimed in happiness.  
"Oh, I missed you Lad! I wanted to do this yesterday, but I was so shocked to see you and that dragon!" Gobber said and let Hiccup go. Hiccup fell to the ground, panting heavily.  
"Hey Gobber." Hiccup managed to breathe out as he stood up.  
"Where have you been Lad?" Gobber asked. Hiccup smiled at his mentor.  
"Everywhere." He replied, earning a chuckle from Gobber. Stoick approached the 2 and wrapped his arms around their necks.  
"Well, you can tell us your stories at dinner. For now, we celebrate! My son, the Night Rider, the Saviour of Berk, and Hero of Dragons has returned!" Stoick announced, and the crowd cheered.  
"And though it won't be permanent, I hope he will continue to visit?" Stoick asked Hiccup, who nodded, earning more cheers.

As they headed to the Meade Hall, Gothi approached and knelt by Freya, inspecting the wound. She approached Hiccup and drew in the ground with her cane, asking Hiccup what he gave Freya for the poison.  
"A mixture of chewed up herbs and Toothless' saliva." Hiccup said, earning a confused look from Gothi.  
"Night Fury saliva has extraordinary healing properties. It'll enhance the effect of most medicinal herbs, and can act as a treatment to a wide variety of poisons. It doesn't cure the poisoning, but it helps the body get rid of it." Hiccup explained. Gothi suddenly got a hopeful look. She pulled an empty bottle, and gestured to Toothless. Hiccup knew what she wanted.  
"I don't mind, and I'm sure Toothless doesn't either, but it'll take a while to fill the bottle." Hiccup said Gothi nodded and thought while they all headed to the Meade Hall. She got an idea, and went to retrieve a fish from the dining table. She held it up to Toothless, who looked at her with a gummy smile. Eventually, Toothless started drooling with how much he wanted the fish. Gothi smirked and held the bottle under Toothless' chin, catching the saliva and filling the bottle rather fast. Gothi gave Toothless the fish and popped a cork in the bottle. She sat down at one of the tables next to Freya.  
"Is Gothi Freya's grandmother?" Hiccup asked his Father as he sat beside him at the main table. Stoick shook his head.  
"No. The lass' family died a year ago in an attack from the Outcasts. She's been living with Gothi ever since." Stoick explained. Hiccup looked at Freya with a sad smile. Freya noticed him and waved happily. Hiccup smiled and waved back. Stoick gasped silently when he saw the look in his son's eyes. It was the same look Valka gave Hiccup when he was a baby.


	7. Damascus

Hiccup was sitting on cliff watching the slight amount of snow fall, his legs dangling off the edge, and Nightling laying her head on his lap while he stroked it. Toothless was hanging from a tree like a bat, taking an afternoon nap. It had been a week since he decided to stay. He spoke with his father and the tribe, telling them stories from his travels, he worked with Gobber at the forge again, and Stoick even allowed Toothless to sleep in the house if Hiccup did. Hiccup hadn't spoken to the teens much, except for Fishlegs. Fishlegs was really interested in learning about dragons; Toothless especially. He had received apologies from all the teens, except Snotlout and Astrid. She was still mad at him for the algae thing. No doubt she was planning Hiccup's funeral this past week. And Snotlout was too proud to apologise, not to mention an asshole. Back to Astrid though, Hiccup did feel bad about what he did, and tried to apologise, but he could never get a moment alone with her. So, he went to her house, only to be greeted by her mother. Hiccup told Astrid's mother that he needed to talk to Astrid, and that he'll be waiting for her on the cliff.

As Hiccup was lost in his thoughts, he heard footsteps behind him. He turned, expecting to see his father, Gobber, or even Freya, whom he had become very attached to. Low and behold his surprise, when he sees… Astrid, looking enraged.  
 _"She actually came."_ Hiccup mused in his head.  
"Hello Astrid." Hiccup said in an emotionless tone. She glared at him and sat beside him, at least a metre away though.  
"What do you want?" She hissed. Hiccup sighed.  
"I wanted to apologise." Hiccup said calmly. Astrid looked at him with wide eyes.  
"I know that what I did was uncalled for. You didn't deserve that, and I'm sorry." He said regretfully. Astrid just glared at him.  
"You think saying sorry can undo the dishonour that the Flightmare did to my family?" Astrid growled. Hiccup shook his head.  
"I do not. But I know what can." He replied. Astrid looked at him with wide eyes.

"Let me tell you something about the Flightmare. Something you'll like." Hiccup said with a smirk.  
"Go on." She asked, tilting her head in confusion.  
"The Flightmare, like most dragons, breathes fire. But, it can breathe something else as well." He said, still smiling.  
"Being?" Astrid asked.  
"A blue mist that, when inhaled, paralyses the victim. The Flightmare uses it to catch prey, and get away from enemies." He said. Astrid's eyes widened.  
"Your Uncle Finn wasn't frozen by fear, but by the mist." He said as tears fell down Astrid's face.  
"Flightmares are actually one of the gentler dragon species, if they trust you." Hiccup finished. Astrid nodded and wiped her tears away. She smiled at Hiccup.  
"Thank you Hiccup." She whispered. Hiccup smiled and nodded. They chatted for another hour before Astrid had to go help her mother, who had a slight case of food poisoning. They both got up and looked at each other. Suddenly, Astrid punched his shoulder.  
"That's for my axe and the algae." She said with a playful frown. Hiccup chuckled. Out of nowhere, she kissed him on the cheek.  
"That's for everything else." She said with a blush and ran off before Hiccup could say anything. He just stood there, blushing.  
 _ **"Hiccup?"**_ Nightling asked.  
"Yeah?" Hiccup responded, snapping out of daze.  
 _ **"Is that female your mate?"**_ She asked with innocent curiosity. Hiccup exploded into a blush and Toothless fell out of the tree, laughing.  
"She is not." He responded in a whisper, looking like a tomato.

* * *

Hiccup, Toothless, and Nightling headed back to the house. Nightling didn't like small spaces, so she just lay down and took a nap on the roof while Hiccup and Toothless went inside. They found Stoick, laying back on his chair, with a block uof ice on his head.  
"You OK Dad?" Hiccup asked. Stoick turned to face him.  
"Aye son, just a little stressed is all. The villagers are getting anxious because I haven't named an heir. Snotlout is my only choice, and you know how he is." Stoick explained. Hiccup felt guilty.  
"I can't be Chief Dad, for more than one reason." Hiccup said. Stoick nodded.  
"I know son, you have a life, I won't take that away." Stoick said with a gentle smile.  
"Like I said, more than that." Hiccup said as he sat down. Stoick raised an eyebrow in confusion.  
"Such as?" Stoick asked, putting the block of ice down. Hiccup sighed.  
"There's one aspect of my transformation I didn't tell you about." Hiccup said. Stoick nodded and made a 'go on' gesture.  
"Longevity." Hiccup whispered with a sigh. Stoick's eyes widened.  
"When I turn 24, I'll stop aging. I will still be able to die, but only if someone kills me, or if I get a lethal sickness. Both of those unlikely, since true Dragon Riders have immensely strong and durable bodies." Hiccup said calmly, though Stoick could hear the depression in his voice.

"You seem depressed about this." Stoick said, momentarily forgetting his shock at the revelation. Hiccup sighed and nodded.  
"I am. Don't get me wrong, I love the thought of having so much time to learn about dragons and such, but…" Hiccup trailed off with a sad frown.  
"But?" Stoick asked. Hiccup sighed again.  
"I have to watch everything and everyone I care about die, while I stay as I am. I can't get married or fall in love without getting hurt. I can't have children with anyone who is not a true Dragon Rider. Even if I tried, I wouldn't be able to give a woman a child." Hiccup said sadly. Stoick looked at his son with wide, yet sad eyes.  
"And the worst part is: I'm the first true Dragon Rider in millennia. And probably the last. The odds of another one appearing are slim to none. And that's me being optimistic." Hiccup said grimly. Stoick looked at his son and hugged him softly.  
"I'm sorry son. I wish there something I could do." Stoick said sadly. Hiccup hugged his father back.  
"Thanks Dad. I'm sorry I can't give you grandchildren." Hiccup said with a sad chuckle. Stoick chuckled sadly too.

* * *

The next day, Hiccup was headed to the forge to make Astrid a new axe for Snoggletog. He had excellent idea for the blade he was going to make. He entered the forge, finding Gobber sharpening a sword.  
"Hey Gobber, do you have any steel I could use?" Hiccup asked as he entered.  
"Ah Hiccup!" He responded happily.  
"I have a few ingots of steel in the back, along with regular iron and that 'Gronckle Iron,' as you called it, that I got from Johann." Gobber said as he sheathed the blade and gave it to the owner.  
"Thanks Gobber. I just need regular steel though." Hiccup said as he got a steel ingot.  
"What are you making?" Gobber asked curiously.  
"A new axe for Astrid, since I broke her old one." Hiccup said with an embarrassed smile. Gobber smirked.  
"You still got it bad for the lass, don't you?" Gobber teased. Hiccup blushed and shook his head.  
"Even if I did, it wouldn't work. I'm ageless. It's part of being a Dragon Rider. I wouldn't be able to give her a child, and I would have to watch her grow old while I stay the same." Hiccup said sadly. Gobber nodded.  
"Aye lad. Stoick told me. That's really sad." Gobber said with a comforting hand on Hiccup's shoulder. Hiccup nodded at his mentor.

"Why don't ya show me your blades?" Gobber said, changing the subject. Hiccup smiled and drew Nightwing and Cloudwing.  
"How did you colour them like that?!" Gobber asked in amazement as he beheld the black and white blades. Hiccup chuckled.  
"I forged some Toothless' and another dragon's scales into the billets." Hiccup explained. Gobber looked at him with wide eyes.  
"That's genius!" Gobber exclaimed. Hiccup chuckled and sheathed his katanas.  
"You ain't seen nothing yet. Check this out." He said with a smirk and drew his dagger from his boot. Gobber gasped with wonder at the dagger. It had swirly patterns going all over the blade.  
"A little trick I picked up in Damascus." Hiccup explained.  
"It's called 'Damascus Steel.' You forge two ingots of different steels into one billet, fold the billet over itself a few times, and then forge it to shape. After all the work on the blade is done, you submerge it in diluted acid, and the pattern shows." Hiccup finished with a smile. Gobber looked at him.  
"Teach me please?" He squeaked in excitement. Hiccup laughed and nodded. He got an ingot of Gronckle iron from Toothless' saddle bag, and got to work.

Hiccup had Toothless weld the 2 ingots on top of each other, and then to a bar of steel for a better grip.  
"Pretty clever there Hiccup." Gobber mused. Hiccup smiled at his mentor and continued.  
"First, you have to make sure the two ingots weld together properly. You do this by hammering on the stronger steel for about three heat cycles." Hiccup said. Gobber nodded and did so with his own billet that he asked Toothless to prepare. About an hour later, the pair had finished stage one of forging their Damascus blades.  
"OK, next step: extend the billet to be longer." Hiccup said. Gobber nodded and did so along with Hiccup.  
"Now, using an old axe, cut though the billet about halfway through, by hammering on the axe." Hiccup explained. He demonstrated and Gobber followed his lead.  
"Now you fold the billet over on itself, and repeat the same action a few times. Ten times should do for your sword." Hiccup said. Gobber nodded with excitement and got to work. It took the pair another 3 hours to finish folding the steel.  
"Now that the billet is completely homogenous, you just forge it to your chosen shape." Hiccup said and they got to work. Gobber made a typical Viking sword, while Hiccup made a double side Viking axe. The pair finished their blades and quenched them. After sharpening the blades, Hiccup got a bottle of Changewing acid from Toothless' saddle bag and poured it into a large clay bowl. He filled the rest of the bowl up with water, and placed the blades in the bowl.  
"Now we just leave them there for an hour, and we'll make the handles." Hiccup said, wiping sweat from his forehead. Gobber nodded and did the same thing.  
"That's hard work." Gobber mused and took a sip of water from his waterskin. Hiccup did the same.  
"Aye, it is." Hiccup said. The two went outside to cool off in the cold air.

"Hiccup!" A voice called. Hiccup turned and saw Astrid running towards him with Freya in her arms.  
"What's wrong?!" Hiccup asked worriedly as Astrid stopped in front of him, panting.  
"Freya… Nightling… Shock…" Astrid panted.  
"Hey, calm down; take a deep breath and then talk." Hiccup said calmly. Astrid did as instructed and calmed down.  
"Freya was playing with Nightling, and Nightling shocked Freya." Astrid said. Hiccup's eyes widened.  
"I brought her to you because you know more about dragons and would probably be able to treat Freya better than Gothi could." Astrid explained. Hiccup nodded and took the sobbing girl from Astrid.  
"Hey Freya, it's me. Are you OK?" Hiccup asked the girl, who nodded shakily.  
"Where does it hurt?" He asked her. Freya showed Hiccup the back of her right hand. There was a large burn there.  
"Don't worry; you're going to be OK. Nightling is still a baby, and doesn't know how to control her lightning yet." Hiccup explained as he brought Freya over to Toothless, who licked the wound. Freya nodded as Nightling came down, looking very sad and guilty with herself.

"Do you want to tell Nightling you'll be OK?" Hiccup asked. Freya nodded and Hiccup put her down. Nightling walked over to Freya, slowly, and sniffed her hand. She gave a sad croon and licked Freya's cheek in apology. Hiccup smiled when Freya said it was OK and hugged the young Skrill's snout.  
 _ **"Hiccup, please tell her I promise not to hurt her again."**_ Nightling requested. Hiccup nodded, and was about to translate, but was shocked, when Freya spoke.  
"Don't worry, I know you won't." Freya said. Hiccup's and Toothless' eyes widened at Freya.  
"You heard her?!" Hiccup asked in shock. Freya tilted her head and nodded.  
"Is that bad?" She asked. Hiccup shook his head.  
"Can I see your hand again?" He asked. Freya nodded and held her hand up to Hiccup when he kneeled. He placed hand gently over the burn.  
"Wyees Hael." He chanted. His eyes flashed yellow, and a purple glow emitted from under his hand. He removed his hand, and examined the girl's hand. His jaw dropped at what he saw.  
"Hiccup? What's wrong?" Astrid asked. Hiccup gestured to Astrid to come see. She did so, and got the same look Hiccup had. There, on the back of Freya's hand, was the Dreki Insignia. Even though it was subconsciously, Nightling had marked Freya.

"Is that…?" Astrid trailed off. Hiccup nodded.  
"It is." He said, staring at Freya with wonder.  
"What is it?" She asked and looked at her hand. She gasped at the insignia.  
"Look at this Freya." Hiccup said and showed her the back of his left hand. He put his hand next to hers.  
"They're the same." Freya observed. Hiccup nodded.  
"What are they?" Freya asked curiously.  
"Nightling has marked you as a true Dragon Rider, like me." Hiccup explained. Freya's eyes widened and looked at Nightling, and then back at Hiccup.  
"Nightling wants to be your dragon, like how Toothless is mine." Hiccup said. Freya looked at Nightling. She extended her hand, and Nightling rested her snout in Freya's palm. Freya gave a small smile.  
"You want me to ride you?" Freya asked in amazement.  
 _ **"I do."**_ Nightling said and licked Freya affectionately. Freya giggled and hugged Nightling.  
"I want you to be my dragon too." Freya said with happy tears. Hiccup smiled at the sight of the two children; Nightling was technically still a child.  
"That settles it." Hiccup said as he got up.  
"Settles what?" Astrid asked in confusion. Hiccup looked at her with a smirk.  
"For one thing, Freya is now a true Rider." Hiccup responded. Astrid nodded, still bewildered.  
"And one other thing. I need to talk to my Dad and Gothi about it though." Hiccup said as he mounted Toothless and took off.

He landed outside his father's house and entered, finding Stoick sharpening his axe.  
"Dad?" Hiccup called out. Stoick looked at his son.  
"Yes Hiccup?" he responded.  
"I need to talk to you about something with Gothi. Can you meet me at her hut?" Hiccup asked. Stoick nodded and got up. Hiccup thanked him and mounted Toothless again. The Night Fury took off and landed in front of Gothi's hut. Hiccup knocked on the door, and Gothi opened.  
"Hey Gothi, I wanted to talk to you and my father about something. He's on his way. Is that OK?" Hiccup asked. Gothi looked at Hiccup with a small smile and let him and Toothless in. Hiccup sat on one of the chairs and Gothi did the same. Toothless lay his head down on his front paws and drifted into a small nap. About 10 minutes later, Stoick arrived at the hut. He sat down on the last free chair and looked at Hiccup.  
"What did you want to talk about?" Stoick asked. Hiccup took a deep breath.  
"I want to adopt Freya." He said simply.

 **A/N: Hiccup's going to be a Daddy! Or is he? O.o  
Lots of reviews for the last chapter, so I updated again. ^^ Thank you for the support!  
BTW, new poll! No votes = no updates. XP**


	8. Daddy!

Hiccup was watching the sunset, his legs dangling off the cliff on the edge of the village. He's been doing this every evening since he came back. He had a bright smile on his face. Gothi and Stoick had agreed to him adopting Freya! It only made sense; he was the only one who could teach her about being a Dragon Rider. Not to mention, he genuinely cares for the girl. Of course, it all comes down to Freya's choice. If she accepts, she will have to come live with him on Midnight Isle, with the dragons. He wasn't sure if she could handle being around so many dragons. But being a true Rider does give a person a sense of peace when around the reptiles. Hiccup was going to give Freya the news the next day, on Snoggletog.

" _ **Thinking about the girl?"**_ Toothless asked as he sat down beside his rider. Hiccup nodded in response.  
"She's a true Rider, like me." Hiccup replied, still in awe.  
 _ **"I know. I never thought the childhood stories would be true."**_ Toothless mused as he lay his head on Hiccup's lap.  
"Stories?" Hiccup asked. That sounded interesting.  
 _ **"When I was a hatchling, my mother would tell me stories of the true Riders. They were led by a man riding one of my kind; my ancestor no less. However, the people feared the Rider's power, so they were wiped out, along with their dragons."**_ Toothless explained sadly. Hiccup felt a tug at his heart; he always did when he thought of dragons dying; they were his kin after all.  
 _ **"But, a prophecy said that 6 true Riders would appear when the world needed them. One on a dragon black as night, one on a dragon that rode the lightning, one on a dragon with unimaginable strength, one on a dragon that had steel scales, one on a dragon with immense vanity, and one that was born of two of the riders, riding a dragon that was whiter than snow."**_ Toothless finished the story. Hiccup thought the story over.

"So, I'm the one that rides the dragon that's black as night and Freya rides the dragon that rides the lightning." Hiccup observed. Toothless gave a warble of agreement.  
"So, the 4 others; do you have any idea what dragon species they could be?" Hiccup asked. Toothless thought for a moment.  
 _ **"The 'steel scales' part gives me an idea."**_ Toothless said. Hiccup nodded.  
"You think it could be her?" Hiccup asked. Toothless warbled in agreement.  
 _ **"It could be. Dragons get to know their riders before marking them. They left only a week after they started riding together. Not enough time. She may have been marked since then. Nightling only marked Freya so soon because they're both so young."**_ Toothless mused. Hiccup nodded in understanding.  
"The vanity part could mean any number of dragons. The most vain dragons are Nadders by far." Hiccup mused.  
"But, there are other dragons that take pride in their looks. Typhoomerangs, Flightmares, Speed Stingers and such." He added. Toothless nodded.  
 _ **"As for the 'whiter than snow' part, it could be anything. All dragons get an albino every now and then."**_ Toothless said.  
"I agree. And 'unimaginable strength' could also be anything." Hiccup responded. Toothless let out a yawn.  
 _ **"Well, we don't have to worry about it yet. All 6 Riders need to be together for the prophecy to start. That won't be for a long time. Freya needs to grow up, and one still needs to be born."**_ Toothless mused. Hiccup nodded.  
"Fair point." He said as the pair got up. Hiccup stretched.  
"Let's head to the house. I'm starving." He said. Toothless cooed happily at the thought of food and the pair headed for the Haddock household.

* * *

"So, you ready for Snoggletog?" Stoick asked his son as they ate. Hiccup nodded.  
"Yeah. I'm really looking forward to seeing Freya and telling her the news." Hiccup said with a smile. Stoick chuckled.  
"Something funny?" hiccup asked with a raised eyebrow. Stoick shook his head.  
"No, I thought this was going to happen." Stoick said. Hiccup cringed in confusion.  
"Care to elaborate?" Hiccup asked. Stoick nodded.  
"After I told you about her parents, you had a look in your eyes. It was the same look your mother gave you when you were born." Stoick said. Hiccup's eyes widened.  
"Oh…" he said with a sigh.  
"You miss her too, eh?" Stoick asked sadly. Hiccup nodded.  
"Yeah. I can't help but feel a small glimmer of hope though. I mean, I was taken by a dragon too. The only difference was that I made the choice. Maybe she saw what I saw, and didn't come back." Hiccup mused. Stoick nodded.  
"Aye, the thought crossed my mind too." Stoick said as he played with his food.  
"Well, if I find her, and that's a very big 'if,' I will try to convince her to come by. Don't lose hope." Hiccup said with a small smile. Stoick looked at his son and sighed.  
"I know lad, but I lost hope a long time ago. It isn't as easy to get back as it is to lose." Stoick said. Hiccup nodded in agreement, and the two spent the rest of dinner in complete silence. Hiccup finished his food and bid his father goodnight. He gave Toothless a few fish, and went to bed, thinking about his mother.

* * *

"Happy Snoggletog guys." Hiccup said as he gave the twins each a dagger made of Gronckle Iron. It was a simple gift, but they were ecstatic, going on about how they can break other people's weapons with those daggers.  
"That might not have been the best idea." Astrid said as she watched the twins play with their new daggers. Hiccup chuckled.  
"Don't worry; it's not pure Gronckle Iron. I melted the stuff down and added in some regular steel. That'll make them better, but not at Gronckle Iron level." Hiccup explained with a smirk. Fishlegs and Astrid nodded in approval.  
"And, for you Fishlegs." Hiccup said as he gave Fishlegs a pouch. Fishlegs opened in it.  
"Cards?" He asked curiosly. Hiccup smirked again.  
"Take a look at them." Hiccup said, his smirk not leaving his face. Fishlegs gasped at the cards when he saw what they looked like.  
"Dragon cards…" he whispered in amazement. Hiccup nodded.  
"All the basic information of all the dragons I've encountered, right at your fingertips. There are some dragons there you've never seen." Hiccup said. Fishlegs gave Hiccup a bear-hug and went prowling around the great hall, excitedly examining the cards of dragons he's never seen. Hiccup and Astrid chuckled.  
"Some things never change." Hiccup mused. Astrid nodded in agreement.

"I usually say 'ladies first,' but I prefer to save the best for last." Hiccup said as he handed Astrid a large box. Astrid inspected the box and opened it. She gasped at the contents. A double edged battle axe, about the same size as her old one, with a stained-black, wooden handle, and swirls and curls patterned into the blade. She picked the weapon up and looked at it with wide eyes.  
"It's beautiful." She whispered in awe. Hiccup smiled at her.  
"I made it using a little trick in learned in Damascus." Hiccup explained. Astrid smiled at him gratefully and hugged him. Hiccup chuckled a bit and hugged back.  
"Thank you Hiccup." Astrid said and kissed his cheek. Hiccup smiled at her.  
"Look at the blade. I usually name the weapons I make. I chose a name that would fit its owner." Hiccup said. Astrid did as she was told and gasped again. She exploded into a blush when she read the name of the blade; Blade of the Valkyrie. Hiccup smiled at her reaction.  
"Thank you." Astrid said and pushed bangs behind her left ear. Hiccup smiled.  
"Anytime Milady." He said with a gentlemanly bow. Astrid chuckled and curtsied. It was then Hiccup's turn to chuckle.  
"I have something I need to take care of." Hiccup said.  
"Do you want to meet up and talk later?" He asked. Astrid smiled and nodded.  
"Great. I'll see you then." Hiccup said with a smile and walked away.  
"See you then." Astrid whispered as she felt a blush sneaking onto her face.

* * *

"Hey Freya?" hiccup called out to the girl as he approached her and Gothi at their table. He noticed her eyes were now yellow, and her hair was purple at the tips.  
"Hiccup!" The girl exclaimed happily and ran to hug him. Hiccup smiled and picked up the picked up the girl. The girl hugged his neck, and Hiccup hugged her back.  
"Happy Snoggletog." Hiccup said as the girl let go.  
"Happy Snoggletog!" Freya responded with a smile.  
"Do you want to go feed Nightling?" Hiccup asked. Freya nodded eagerly, happy at the thought of her dragon. Hiccup smiled and put her on his shoulders. He headed outside to where Toothless and Nightling were.

"So, I've been meaning to talk to you about being a Rider." Hiccup said as he handed Freya a fish.  
"What about it?" Freya asked as she tossed Nightling the fish. Hiccup did the same with Toothless.  
"Well, if I'm going to teach you all the stuff about being a Rider, I'm going to need you close by at all times." Hiccup explained as he and Freya tossed another fish to their dragons.  
"The chief's your Daddy right? Don't you live with him?" Freya asked with a tilted head. Hiccup shook his head.  
"I don't. I live on a big island called Midnight Isle. It's rather far, and there are hundreds of dragons on it." Hiccup said. Freya deflated.  
"Does that mean you can't teach me?" She asked with a pout. Hiccup smiled at the girl.  
"Not necessarily." He answered as he and Freya each fed their dragons one last fish. Freya looked at him with more confusion.  
"If you come with me, I can teach you every day." Hiccup said with a smile. Freya's eyes widened.  
"I talked to Gothi and my Dad. I told them that I want to adopt you." Hiccup said as he knelt down to her eye level.  
"What?" Freya asked in shock.  
"So, you'll be like, my new Daddy?" Freya whispered. Hiccup smiled at the girl lovingly and nodded.  
"It's all up to you. You don't have to if you don't want to." Hiccup said. Tears started falling down Freya's face and she pounced on Hiccup, squealing happily.  
"Daddy!" She cried with happy tears. Hiccup smiled and hugged his new daughter as she cried, not aware of the audience that was hidden.

"Aw, that is so cute!" Fishlegs whispered. Ruffnut and Tuffnut wiped away their tears.  
"So beautiful. Once an orphan, now a family." Tuffnut whispered in a dramatic British accent. Astrid also had to wipe away her unshed tears.  
"I wonder what she's going to learn from Hiccup?" Ruffnut asked.  
"Oh I wanna know too." Fishlegs whispered excitedly.  
"Imagine all the secrets Hiccup could teach us." He added.  
"Maybe we could ask him tomorrow if he will teach us." Astrid suggested, trying to hide her blush at the sight of Hiccup smiling at his baby girl.  
"That's an excellent idea!" Fishlegs exclaimed when Hiccup and Freya left.  
"Oh yeah! He can teach us how to ride dragons! And the magic too!" Tuffnut exclaimed.  
"Think of the havoc we could wreck if we used magic!" Ruffnut exclaimed and the two twins banged their helmets in agreement.  
"I must admit, the thought does appeal to me." Fishlegs mused. Astrid nodded.  
"It's settled then." She said with a smile to her friends.

* * *

Hiccup and Freya went back to the great hall for some food. Freya was sitting on Hiccup's shoulders, hugging the top of his head affectionately. Stoick noticed his son and smiled at the sight of his now granddaughter.  
"I take it she accepted?" Stoick asked as he approached his son, receiving a nod in return.  
"We'll pack up her things tomorrow, and then head back to Midnight Isle the day after." Hiccup explained. Stoick nodded, a little sad that his son was leaving in two days, but he understood it, and accepted it.  
"I see. Is there anything you're going to need for the trip?" Stoick asked. Hiccup thought for a moment.  
"Well, we won't be going there directly. I have to make a stop first, so a some camping supplies would be welcome." Hiccup said. Stoick nodded.  
"I will have the supplies delivered to your room in the morning." Stoick said. Hiccup smiled at his father and thanked him.  
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot." Hiccup said as he placed Freya back on the ground. He reached into his satchel and pulled out a pendant. It was a round steel disk, with a Speed Stinger carved into it.  
"You once told me that Mom had an interest in Speed Stingers. I figured you'd like this." Hiccup said and gave it to Stoick. Stoick took it gratefully and stared at it with a loving smile.  
"Thank you son." Stoick said as he put the pendant around his neck. Hiccup smiled.  
"Anytime Dad." He said. The pair chatted for another few minutes before Hiccup had to go.  
"I need to find Gobber. I have something for him too." Hiccup said. Stoick nodded and Hiccup went off to find his mentor.

"Hey Gobber!" Hiccup called to his mentor.  
"Hiccup! How are you lad?" he asked.  
"I'm great thanks. You?" Hiccup responded.  
"Just fine!" Gobber replied with a bright smile. He then noticed Freya holding Hiccup's hand.  
"Hello lass. What are you doing with Hiccup?" Gobber asked the girl curiosly.  
"He's my Daddy now!" Freya said happily and hugged Hiccup's leg. Gobber looked at Hiccup with wide eyes.  
"I decided I wanted to adopt her. She's a true Rider, like me, and I have a home where I can provide for her and teach her with no trouble." Hiccup explained.  
"Not to mention, I have felt a connection to her since I met her." Hiccup said with a smile directed to his little girl. Gobber smiled at him.  
"Good for you lad. At least you can now have a kid." He said with a chuckle. Hiccup rolled his eyes at his old mentor.

"Anyway, I got you this." Hiccup said, handing Gobber a book. Gobber took the book and read the title, gasping at what it said: Damascus Steel Techniques for Beginners.  
"Different techniques will create different patterns." Hiccup explained. Gobber suddenly pulled him into a bear-hug.  
"Thanks lad!" He exclaimed. Hiccup started turning blue in the face.  
"Gobber… Air…" he croaked out. Gobber let go and laughed at the boy.  
"Seriously though, thanks." Gobber said, gesturing to the book. Hiccup smiled eagerly and nodded.  
"Speaking of swords though, here's the sword I made! What do you think?" Gobber asked, handing Hiccup a sheathed sword. Hiccup pulled the blade out and inspected it.  
"It's pretty good. Especially considering it's your first one." Hiccup said. Gobber smiled brightly.  
"I can see a few cracks though." Hiccup said. Gobber deflated.  
"Hey, don't worry about it. This steel is incredibly difficult to forge properly. The man who taught me, his name was Ilya, has been doing this for 20 years, and he still makes mistakes." Hiccup comforted. Gobber perked up and smiled.  
"I'm going to go try again!" He exclaimed and ran to his forge before Hiccup could reply. Hiccup laughed at his mentor.

* * *

Hiccup was headed back to his father's house, Toothless and Nightling following behind him, and a sleeping Freya in his arms. This Snoggletog had been, by far, his best in many years. He hung with Astrid and the gang, sans Snotlout because he still refused to apologise to hiccup, much less talk to him. He finished with the adoption process with Freya, he spent some time with Gothi, showing her different ways of using toothless' saliva in medicine, and he spent some time alone with Astrid. It was weird, even after 6 years he still had his major crush on her. She seemed to have grown more beautiful since he last saw her. He quickly shook those thoughts out of his head. It wouldn't work. He was immortal, she was not. He can't give her children, and he can't give her his whole life. Both he and she would be better off as good friends. Even so, it will hurt him greatly to be around her. Even if they never got together, he would still stay as he is, while she grows old, and it will be painful when she dies. All he can do is hope she finds someone who loves her as much as he does.

As Hiccup was caught up in his musings, he heard a very rude voice call out to him.  
"Hey Fishbone!" Snotlout called to Hiccup from behind. Hiccup sighed.  
"Can I help you Snotlout?" Hiccup asked his cousin. His mother and Snotlout's father were siblings, so they were family, much to both their dismay.  
"I got a bone to pick with you Fishbone." Snotlout said with crossed arms. Hiccup sighed again.  
"What do you need?" Hiccup asked politely, trying to be the bigger man, and just barely succeeding.  
"I saw you and Astrid together." He said with a glare.  
"And?" Hiccup asked with a raised eyebrow.  
"Stay away from my woman!" Snotlout growled. Hiccup couldn't help himself; he burst out laughing. He would have dropped Freya if he hadn't placed her on Toothless' saddle.  
"Your woman?" Hiccup snickered, earning a death glare from Snotlout.  
"From what I've seen, she still hits you whenever you try to flirt with her. And kicks you, insults you, throws her axe at you… Need I say more?" Hiccup asked. Snotlout turned red with anger.  
"Shut up!" He bellowed. Hiccup just rolled his eyes.  
"Listen Snotlout, Astrid and I are not together. We never will be. I'm immortal, and can't have children with someone who isn't a true Dragon Rider like me. I can't make her happy. So, you have nothing to worry about. At least not from me." Hiccup explained. Snotlout rolled his eyes.  
"Please. Have you seen the way she looks at you?" He growled. Hiccup's eyes widened. He quickly shook it off. Snotlout must have misjudged what look she had on her face.  
"I'm certain that's just your imagination. I have to get to bed now. It's late, and I have a lot to do." Hiccup said and turned around.  
"Not so fast Hiccup!" Snotlout yelled. Hiccup groaned and turned around.  
"What now?" He asked, too tired to deal with this.  
"I challenge you to a Holmgang!" Snotlout exclaimed. Hiccup raised his eyebrow.  
"Are you certain? You've seen what I can do." Hiccup warned. Snotlout glared at him.  
"Tomorrow, in the kill ring, at noon. I'll choose the rules and stakes then." Snotlout said with a huff and walked away. Hiccup scoffed and continued to the house. He entered it, finding his father sitting in front of the fire with a mug of mead.

"Hey Dad." Hiccup sighed.  
"Something troubling you son?" Stoick asked. Hiccup nodded and sat next to his father.  
"Mead?" Stoick asked. He had always wanted to share some mead with his son, and now was his chance. Hiccup smiled and nodded. Stoick grabbed another mug, and filled it with mead from his barrel.  
"So, what's going on?" Stoick asked, taking a sip of his mead. Hiccup did the same.  
"Before I start, Toothless? Would you mind taking Freya to my bedroom?" Hiccup asked.  
 _ **"Sure."**_ Toothless responded and walked up the stairs.  
"So, what's going on?" Stoick asked again. Hiccup sighed.  
"Snotlout challenged me to a Holmgang." Hiccup said. Stoick sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand.  
"That lad…" Stoick sighed. Hiccup nodded in agreement and sipped his mead.  
"He said he'll choose the rules and stakes tomorrow. I have to meet him at noon in the kill ring. And since he challenged me, I can't refuse." Hiccup said with another sigh. Stoick nodded.  
"All we can do is wait and hope for the best." Stoick said, leaning back on his chair. Hiccup nodded in agreement. The two spent about another half hour chatting before Hiccup bid his father a good night went up to his room to sleep. He noticed Freya sleeping soundly on his bed, and smiled at the sight. He went over to Toothless, and leaned against him. Toothless smiled at his rider and wrapped his wing around him like a blanket.  
"Good night Toothless." Hiccup said and closed his eyes.  
 _ **"Good night Hiccup."**_ The dragon replied. The pair soon felt the peaceful bliss of sleep take them over.

 **A/N: A Holmgang is a Viking challenge where the challenger decides the stakes, time, and rules. The opponent can't refuse by Viking law. The challenger can say that the battle is to the death, or to disarm or whatever, and the victor gets whatever the challenger decides before the battle starts.**


	9. Holmgang

"The Holmgang between Snotlout Jorgenson, the challenger, and Hiccup Ryder, the opponent, will now begin." Stoick announced to the audience.  
"Snotlout, state the rules and stakes of the battle." Stoick commanded. Snotlout nodded and faced his opponent in the kill ring.  
"One weapon of choice, no armour, and no dragon powers on your part." Snotlout said and took his tunic off. Hiccup nodded and did the same, exposing his muscular, tattooed and scarred chest. Hiccup could have sworn he saw Astrid blushing, but shook it off as his imagination. He took his human appearance and faced Snotlout.  
"And the stakes?" Hiccup asked as he drew Nightwing and placed Cloudwing with his armour. Snotlout smirked.  
"To the death. Winner gets the title of Heir to Berk." Snotlout said. The entire village gasped.  
"You have no right to stake that title." Hiccup said calmly.  
"He does Hiccup. He's facing the current heir. We thought you were dead, and I never named a new heir. Now that you're back, you're heir by technicality." Stoick explained grimly. Hiccup sighed and nodded.  
"Sorry son, I would have named an heir sooner if I knew this would happen." Stoick apologised. Hiccup smiled at his father and nodded.  
"What is your weapon?" Hiccup asked, raising his katana in his left hand. Snotlout looked at his axe and snorted, before throwing it to the ground.  
"I want that sword." Snotlout said, pointing to Cloudwing on the ground. Hiccup growled, but he couldn't refuse. He picked up the white blade and tossed it to Snotlout, who unsheathed it with a smirk. Hiccup smirked back.  
"You're going to have trouble with that sword. It's meant to be wielded along with this one." Hiccup said, gesturing to Nightwing.  
"I can wield one because I've been training for years in swordplay." Hiccup said and got into a battle stance. Snotlout scoffed and did the same.

"Begin!" Stoick announced, reluctantly. Snotlout charged at Hiccup with a battle cry, holding Cloudwing in his hands.  
 _"Using a one-handed sword with two hands. Dumbass."_ Hiccup thought and held still. Snotlout neared Hiccup and swung the blade, only for it to swing out of his hands and embed itself in the wall, much to his shock.  
"Dumbass. It's a one-handed sword." Hiccup said with an eye-roll. Snotlout looked at Hiccup with wide eyes and ran for Cloudwing, only to be stopped by Hiccup sweeping his feet under Snotlout's. Snotlout looked at Hiccup, who had Nightwing pointed at Snotlout's throat. Hiccup raised the blade, making the crowd gasp. He swung his sword, and Snotlout shut his eyes, waiting for the end, but didn't come. He only heard 2 objects hit the ground. He opened his eyes and saw his helmet on the ground, split in two.  
"Remember Snotlout: from this day on, every breath you take is a gift from me." Hiccup said as he went to his tunic and armour and put them back on. He sheathed Nightwing and went over to Cloudwing, pulling it out of the wall without any difficulty, and sheathed it. The crowd was in complete chock at what they saw Hiccup do. Anybody else would have killed Snotlout, but he didn't.  
"The victory goes to Hiccup Ryder!" Stoick announced proudly as his son exited the arena. The crowd applauded as Hiccup smiled back at them and continued on his way to the house.

* * *

"OK, you go on to Gothi's house and pack up your stuff. We're leaving first thing tomorrow morning." Hiccup said to his daughter.  
"OK!" Freya said cheerfully and skipped to Gothi's hut.  
"She really is adorable." A voice said behind Hiccup. He turned and saw Astrid and the gang, sans Snotlout.  
"She is. Do you need something?" Hiccup asked. Astrid nodded.  
"We wanted to ask you to help us train dragons." Astrid said, shocking Hiccup.  
"And teach us magic!" The twins exclaimed. Hiccup shook off his surprise and spoke.  
"I can teach you to train a dragon, but not magic." Hiccup explained.  
"Why not!?" the twins complained. Hiccup sighed.  
"My magic comes from being a true Rider. None of you are true Riders, so you won't be able to use magic." Hiccup explained. The twins cried in disappointment, making Hiccup roll his eyes.  
"Meet me at the arena in an hour." He told the gang, who nodded as Hiccup went into the forest.

"So, they want to train dragons huh?" Hiccup asked himself as he set some dragon nip on the ground.  
"Well, I'm going to need dragons to do that." He said with a small smile. It wasn't long before a flock of Terrible Terrors flew and ate the dragon nip. They all fell to the ground, snoring heavily. Hiccup chuckled and placed the six Terrors in a crate and headed to the arena.

* * *

"What kind of dragons do you think Hiccup will train for us?" Tuffnut asked his sister.  
"Maybe a Whispering Death!" She answered excitedly.  
"Or a Thunderdrum!" Tuff responded.  
"Or maybe something you can handle." Hiccup said as he entered the arena with a large crate. He noticed Snotlout was with them.  
"Huh. You want a dragon too eh?" Hiccup asked his cousin with a smirk, who huffed and didn't say anything. Hiccup chuckled and placed the crate in the middle of the arena. He opened it, revealing the Terrors.  
"Seriously? Terrible Terrors?" Snotlout asked, only to receive a serious nod in return.  
"They're the easiest and least dangerous to train. We'll move on to other dragons once you can handle these guys." Hiccup said as the Terrors flew around the arena. He pulled a fish out of his satchel.

"Ok, like I said, Terrors are the easiest dragons to train. All you have to do is give them a fish, scratch them under their cheek, and they're yours." Hiccup explained and demonstrated. He walked over to the green and blue Terror that was sitting down and handed her the fish. She sniffed it and ate it happily before approaching Hiccup. He held his hand out and looked away. The Terror pressed her nose into his hand and purred when he scratched her under her cheek. He picked her up and she climbed to lay down on his shoulders, falling asleep on them.  
"And that's it." Hiccup said, petting his Terror.  
"I think I'll call her Aquamarine." He said with a smile. Aquamarine purred in her sleep at the name.  
"Hiccup, that was…" Astrid trailed off.  
"Amazing." Fishlegs finished in awe. Hiccup smiled at them.  
"Even if you're not a true Rider, there is nothing a dragon won't do for you, if you earn his loyalty." Hiccup said.  
"So, who wants to go first?" Hiccup asked. Astrid stepped forward, volunteering.

"OK, just choose a Terror, and do what I did." He explained, handing Astrid a fish.  
"And give me your weapon. Dragons won't trust you if you carry a weapon." Hiccup explained. Astrid nodded and reluctantly gave Hiccup her axe. She went over to the blue Terror and knelt down to him, throwing the fish in front of him.  
"Hey little guy." She said calmly and gave him the fish. The Terror cautiously approached the fish and ate it. He approached Astrid in a sneaky manner, making Astrid giggle a little.  
"Sneaky. I'll call you Sneaky." She said and held out her hand, looking away. Sneaky purred and placed his head against her hand. Astrid looked at the dragon with a shocked smile and scratched him under the cheek, picking him up as he purred.  
"Nicely done." Hiccup said, handing her axe. Astrid smiled and placed her axe in the holster on her hip.  
"Sneaky trusts you now, so he won't have a problem with you carrying a weapon." Hiccup explained. Astrid nodded in understanding and stood next to Hiccup.  
"Who's next?" Hiccup asked the remainder of the gang.

After all the Terrors had a human friend, Hiccup was standing in front of the gang, giving them instructions for their dragons.  
"I'll come back to Berk in a week. You have until then to train your respective Terrors to do something to impress me. If you pass this little test, we'll move on to bigger dragons." Hiccup explained.  
"What happened if we fail?" Snotlout asked through gritted teeth, as his purple Terror, named Pain, was munching on his leg.  
"You will have another week to train your dragons to do something else. The cycle will continue until I'm satisfied. Understood?" Hiccup asked the trainees. The all nodded and took their dragons home to begin training them, except for Astrid, who helped Hiccup pack his stuff back into Toothless' saddle bags.

"Any advice for training?" Astrid asked. Hiccup thought for a moment.  
"Well, be sure to give Sneaky fish when he's hungry. That'll make him happier, since he won't have to get it himself, and like you more. Make it easier to train him. Also, if he gets too active, give him a small scratch right here." Hiccup explained, demonstrating to Astrid with Aquamarine. As he scratched the Terror behind her neck, she fell to the ground, purring.  
"Wow." Astrid said, chuckling.  
"Indeed." Hiccup agreed, smiling at Astrid, making her blush. Hiccup also blushed.  
"So uh… I'll see you in a week?" Astrid asked. Hiccup nodded.  
"Uh, yeah." He responded.  
"The dragons get worried when I'm away too long. Especially Bloodwing." Hiccup explained as the pair exited the arena. Astrid gave him a look of confusion.  
"Bloodwing is a red and black Nadder I made friends with when I first got to Midnight Isle. She's always worrying about me like some Mother Hen." Hiccup explained, laughing. Astrid laughed too.  
 _"She really has a musical laugh."_ Hiccup couldn't help but think.

"Do you want to try riding Toothless?" he asked out of nowhere. Astrid looked at him with wide eyes, and then at Toothless.  
"Uh… Is it safe?" She asked worriedly. Hiccup nodded and mounted Toothless, gesturing to the space behind him for Astrid to sit.  
"If you trust him." Hiccup said. Astrid nodded and reluctantly got on, not noticing Toothless' upset look.  
 _ **"She still hasn't apologised…"**_ Toothless thought with a slight grin.  
"OK Toothless, let's take this low and slow." Hiccup said as Toothless extended his wings.  
"See? Nothing to be afraid of." Hiccup said to Astrid with a smile. Toothless huffed and shot up, making Astrid scream in fright.  
"GREAT ODIN'S GHOST!" She screamed.  
"Toothless! What is wrong with you?! Bad dragon!" Hiccup yelled to his friend as they entered the clouds.  
"Heh, he's not usually like this." Hiccup said to Astrid nervously. Toothless tucked his wings in close.  
"Oh no…" Hiccup muttered as they fell to the ocean, Astrid still screaming. They crashed into the water, and Toothless hopped in and out like a dolphin.  
"Toothless, what are you doing? We're trying to get her to like this!" Hiccup exclaimed. Toothless ignored him and shot up again, spinning as they went through the clouds, making Astrid scream louder.  
"And now he's spinning." Hiccup deadpanned.  
"Thank you for nothing, you useless reptile." Hiccup remarked as they continued spinning. Astrid suddenly held on to Hiccup's back.  
"OK! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Just get me off!" She begged. Toothless smiled at her words and spread his wings, slowing them down, making them glide through the air.

"I see." Hiccup whispered.  
 _ **"She hadn't apologised."**_ Toothless explained as they glided.  
"You could have just said that." Hiccup deadpanned.  
 _ **"If I had, she wouldn't have meant it."**_ Toothless laughed. Hiccup rolled his eyes as they glided through the clouds. He noticed Astrid was still holding him close, her face buried in his back.  
"Astrid, open your eyes." He said with a blush. Astrid reluctantly obeyed and gasped at the beautiful sunset. She saw that they were gliding underneath a cloud and extended her arm through it. It felt wet on her arms and, in all honesty, kind of nice. She extended her other arm, enjoying the feeling of the cloud.

After a few minutes, the sun set completely, enveloping the village in the darkness of night.  
"Wow…" Hiccup heard Astrid mutter as she rested her head on his shoulder, smiling. Hiccup blushed, but didn't do anything. He felt his heart beating faster. He tried to control it, but that was kind of hard to do when the girl he'd loved for years had her chest pressing into his back.  
"OK, I admit it, this pretty cool. It's amazing." She said, looking at the village.  
"He's amazing." She said, patting Toothless' neck. Hiccup smiled at her and steered Toothless towards Astrid's house.

"So, what are you going to do now?" Astrid asked as they landed. Hiccup shrugged.  
"I'll take Freya to Midnight Isle, get her settled in, teach her a bit about being a true Rider, come back in a week for the dragon training, and see where everything goes from there." Hiccup said as the pair dismounted Toothless.  
"Of course, I still need to find the other true Riders." Hiccup mused.  
"Others?" Astrid asked with her head tilted. Hiccup nodded.  
"Toothless told me about a prophecy that talks about 6 true riders. Freya and I are 2 of them. The story gives a slight description about the other 4 dragons, but not enough to confirm what they are. I have a hunch about one of them though." Hiccup explained. Astrid nodded.  
"What does the story say about them?" Astrid asked curiously.  
"The one I have a hunch about has 'steel scales' as the story says. As for the rest, it says one 'white as snow,' one with 'immense vanity,' and one with 'immense strength.' Those could be anything." Hiccup said. Astrid nodded again.  
"Any idea what those others could be?" She asked. Hiccup shook his head.  
"All dragon species get albinos very few years. Many are very strong, and vain. There really is no way to tell." Hiccup explained.  
"Not mention, the Rider that has the albino dragon will be born of 2 true Riders, so it'll be a while before he/she appears." Hiccup explained. Astrid tilted her head.  
"Does that mean that they're not born yet?" She asked. Hiccup nodded.  
"Their parents are going to be 2 of the other 5 Riders." He said. Astrid nodded.  
"Won't that take a long time though?" She asked. Hiccup nodded.  
"Yes, but true Riders are immortal, so we can wait." He said with a shrug.  
"Immortal?!" Astrid asked in shock. Hiccup nodded sadly.  
"Yeah. Not only that, but we can only have children with other true Riders." He said depressed. Astrid looked at him with shock, pity and sadness.  
 _"So it won't work with us."_ She thought sadly. She blushed at her train of thought and shook it off.  
"I'm so sorry." She said. Hiccup smiled at her.  
"Thanks." He said. Astrid smiled back and punched him in the shoulder.  
"Why would you do that?" He asked, rubbing his shoulder.  
"That's for kidnapping me." She said with a crossed arms and a glare. Hiccup looked at Toothless and shrugged his shoulders. Suddenly, Astrid kissed him on the cheek.  
"That's for the flight." She said and entered her house, leaving Hiccup with a heavy blush. Toothless nudged his rider with a grin and a small coo.  
"Shut up. Useless reptile." Hiccup muttered. Toothless just laughed and rolled his eyes, following his rider to the chief's house.

 **A/N: So, anybody have any idea as to who the other riders and their dragons are? If someone guesses correctly, I'll post another chapter!**


	10. Heather

Hiccup entered his house, and saw his father facing the fireplace, seemingly deep in thought. Not wanting to disturb his father, Hiccup just went straight to his room.  
"Son." Stoick called out quietly.  
"Déjà vu." Hiccup said with a chuckle. Stoick let out a small chuckle too, but quickly turned serious.  
"Is there something you need?" Hiccup asked as he sat beside his father. Stoick gave his son a slight glare.  
"Where did they come from?" Stoick asked. Hiccup tilted his head in confusion.  
"Where did what come from?" He asked.  
"The scars Hiccup. Where did all those scars come from?" Stoick asked firmly. Hiccup looked away from his father with a pained look.  
"It's not something I like to talk about." Hiccup said. Sensing his rider's fear and sadness, Toothless warbled and rested his head on Hiccup's lap comfortingly. Hiccup smiled and stroked his dragon.  
"Is it really that bad?" Stoick asked with worry in his evident. Hiccup nodded.  
"When you free dragons from captivity from so many tribes, you make a lot of enemies." Hiccup explained.  
"Alvin and Dagur are only two enemies I've made." Hiccup said grimly. Stoick nodded.

"Anyone I should look out for?" Stoick asked. Hiccup nodded and took a deep breath to calm his nerves.  
"Viggo Grimborn, Drago Bludvist-" Hiccup was about to continue his list, but his father cut him off.  
"Drago Bludvist?!" Stoick exclaimed in shock and fear. Hiccup flinched at the sudden outburst, but quickly calmed down and nodded.  
"Yeah. You know him?" Hiccup asked. Stoick nodded with a grim look.  
"It was years ago, there was a chieftains council to discuss the dragons' scourge we all faced. Out of nowhere, a stranger entered, covered in scars and draped in a cloak of dragon skin." Stoick said. Hiccup nodded.  
"Long black hair?" Hiccup asked. Stoick nodded in response.  
"That's Drago." Hiccup said. Stoick continued with the story.  
"He carried no weapon, and spoke softly, saying that he was Drago Bludvist, and that he was a man of the people, devoted to freeing mankind from 'the tyranny of dragons.' He claimed that he alone could control the dragons and that he alone could keep us safe, IF we chose to bow down and follow him." Stoick said. Hiccup let out a slight chuckle.  
"Aye, we laughed too. Until, he wrapped himself in his cloak, and cried out, 'then see how well you do without me!' The rooftop suddenly burst into flames, and from it, armoured dragons descended, burning the hall to the ground. I was the only one to escape." Stoick finished his story, with a slight hint of fear in his voice. Hiccup sighed.  
"Well, I guess it's only right I tell you my experience with him now." Hiccup said, pinching the bridge of his nose. Stoick was about to stop him, but Hiccup just started his story.

"It was three years ago, shortly after I saved the village from the Red Death." Hiccup started. Stoick thought back to the time, and it still amazed him what Hiccup did that day.  
"I came across a group of dragon trappers. Of course, me being a dragon lover, I freed all those dragons and even convinced the crew to leave Drago. It was hard, but I did it, and made a few friends. Anyway, I freed a few more dragons, and eventually became quite a nuisance to Drago. He set a trap for me by spreading rumour of an island full of Night Furies. I spent a few weeks tracking this island, only to be captured by Drago's 2nd in command, Eret, son of Eret." Hiccup explained. Stoick flinched a little, not liking where this story was going.  
"Eret and his crew took me to Drago, and he chained me to a wall, stark naked, and questioned me about 'how I control the dragons.' I just spat in his face and demanded he let me and Toothless go. Fat load of good it did." Hiccup remarked. Stoick couldn't help chuckling at his son's ranting.  
"When he didn't get what he wanted from me, he had multiple dragons and men torture me. The dragons bit and burned me, the men whipped me, and so on." Hiccup shuddered at the memory.  
"How did you escape?" Stoick asked. Hiccup shrugged his shoulders.  
"I woke up in my cell after 2 weeks of torture, and found a key in my meal. I don't know who gave me the key, or why, and I may never know. But I do know that I owe someone my life. Not to mention Toothless' freedom. Drago would have controlled Toothless and used him in battle had we not escaped." Hiccup finished his story with a sigh.  
"That's where most of my scars came from. The rest are just accidents in the forge or run-ins with wild dragons or other enemies." Hiccup added. Stoick nodded sadly.  
"I'm sorry Son. I wish I could have been there for you." Stoick said as he pulled his son into a hug, shocking Toothless out of his nap. Hiccup sighed and hugged his father.  
"It's OK. You thought I was dead, so I can't blame you." Hiccup said as his father let him go. His father nodded and wiped his unshed tears away.

"So, tell me about the tattoos. Why in the name of Thor did you get those?" Stoick asked with a laugh. Hiccup laughed too, grateful for the change in subject.  
"Well, I was I Damascus when I learnt to make these blades." Hiccup said, pulling out his Damascus Steel knife. Stoick stared in the blade in awe and made a 'go-on' gesture as Hiccup sheathed the blade.  
"I spent a few weeks there and made friends with a blacksmith. He and I went to a pub one night and had a little too much to drink. Long story short, I woke up the next morning, in an inn, with a naked tattoo artist sleeping next to me, and a tattoo of a Night Fury wrapping around my right arm." Hiccup said and pulled up his right sleeve. Stoick stared at it for a moment and burst out into a massive fit of laughter. Hiccup blushed at his father's laughter.  
"Odin's beard Son, your mother would kill you for doing that. She wanted you to be a gentleman." Stoick said through his laughter. Hiccup rolled his eyes.  
"That's kind of hard to do when you're drunk and have an over-amorous tattoo artist trying to cop a feel of your ass while tattooing you." Hiccup said with crossed arms and a huff, still blushing. Toothless joined in on Stoick's laughter.  
"Traitor." Hiccup mumbled.  
"I'm sorry Hiccup, but that is hilarious." Stoick said as he finally calmed down.  
 _ **"For once, your sire and I agree."**_ Toothless said with a grin. Hiccup rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, what of the other two?" Stoick asked.  
"Do they have as entertaining back stories as this one?" Stoick asked with a grin, making Toothless chuckle. Hiccup glared at his father, but continued his tattoo stories.  
"Sorry, but no. The raven on my chest I got while fully sober. I just got it because I liked it." Hiccup explained. Stoick gave a slight chuckle and nodded.  
"The phoenix on my shoulder however, I got after I recovered from Drago's torture. It represents me escaping and 'rising from the ashes' if you get what I mean." Hiccup said. Stoick nodded in approval.  
"OK, that one I like. Not as funny as the arm tattoo, but still a good choice." Stoick said with a grin. Hiccup rolled his eyes again.  
"I'm never gonna hear the end of that, am I?" Hiccup asked. Stoick shook his head.  
"Not for as long as I live." Stoick said, laughing. Hiccup groaned. After chatting a little more, Hiccup went to bed. He walked over to his bed and fell into it. Freya was spending her last night on Berk with Gothi, so she was sleeping at her hut.  
"Good night Toothless." Hiccup said.  
 _ **"Good night Hiccup."** _ The dragon replied.

* * *

"You have everything?" Hiccup asked as Freya met him, Toothless and Nightling on the cliff. Freya smiled brightly and nodded. Gothi looked at Hiccup and drew in the ground, telling him to take care of the girl.  
"I will Gothi, I promise." Hiccup said with a smile. Gothi smiled back and nodded. She gave Freya one more hug before heading back to her hut.  
"Nightling can carry your stuff." Hiccup said to Freya, who nodded. She pulled the chest she had with her that carried her belongings towards Nightling.  
"Will you carry this for me Nighty?" Freya asked. Nightling warbled in response and licked her young Rider affectionately. Freya giggled and thanked her.

"Hey Hiccup!" A voice called. Hiccup turned and saw the gang, minus Snotlout approaching.  
"Hey guys." He greeted back with a smile.  
"We wanted to see you off. Is that OK?" Fishlegs asked, stroking his Terror, Iggy.  
"Of course." Hiccup replied, smiling.  
"Where are you headed?" Tuffnut asked.  
"My island. I called it Midnight isle." Hiccup explained.  
"How many dragons are on that island?" Fishlegs asked with excitement, making Hiccup chuckle.  
"Hundreds, if not thousands. And at least one of every species you know of, along with some you don't know." Hiccup said with a grin.  
"Oh my Thor! I wanna see!" Fishlegs exclaimed. Hiccup shook his head.  
"Sorry. My island is strictly a no-Vikings zone." Hiccup said firmly.  
"Aaw…" Fishlegs and the twins deflated.  
"Why though?" Astrid asked with a raised eyebrow.  
"Most of the dragons there are either former captives of Viking kill rings, or were wild and grew up hating Vikings." Hiccup explained. The group nodded in understanding.

"We'll see you when you get back?" Astrid asked as the twins left.  
"I already have an idea for my test!" Fishlegs squeaked in excitement. Hiccup chuckled and nodded.  
"I look forward to seeing what your Terrors do. I already have an idea for your next dragons to work with." Hiccup said to the pair with a grin.  
"If you give me a Flightmare, I will kill you." Astrid deadpanned. Hiccup chuckled and pouted.  
"There goes that idea." He joked. Astrid rolled her eyes and punched his shoulder.  
"Remember, your dragons are not pets, there your friends. The Terrors are different though; they like the life of a pet. They get food and affection daily." Hiccup explained as he placed Freya on Toothless' saddle. Astrid and Fishlegs nodded.  
"Have a good dragon ready for me. I'm going to knock your socks off next week." Astrid said with determination. Hiccup smirked at her.  
"You do that simply by standing in front of me." Hiccup said with a wink as he mounted Toothless, Freya wrapped safely in his arms. Astrid blushed heavily, and was about to yell at Hiccup, but he cut her off.  
"See ya! Hold on Freya." Hiccup said. Freya nodded and held on to Hiccup's arms. Toothless took off into the distance, and Freya screamed in delight.  
"Get back her Hiccup Ryder!" Astrid yelled after them as Nightling grabbed Freya's chest and took off. She only heard Hiccup laughing in the distance. Astrid glared into the distance.  
"Just by standing in front of me…" She muttered Hiccup's words, looking like a tomato. She saw Fishlegs grinning at her.  
"Somebody's got it bad." He stated. He didn't even sound like he was teasing her, more like he was stating a fact, but Astrid glared at him anyway.  
"Run." She whispered, putting her hand on her axe. Fishlegs paled and ran away with his arms in the air, screaming like a little girl. Astrid grinned with sick satisfaction at the running Viking.

* * *

"This is so cool!" Freya yelled into the wind, hearing her voice echo as they soared through the air.  
"I know right?" Hiccup replied with a chuckle. Freya screamed in excitement as they sped up.  
"Are we going to your home now?" She asked Hiccup when she calmed down. Hiccup shook his head.  
"No, first we're headed to a friend's place, to see if she's like us." Hiccup explained. Freya tilted her head.  
"You mean if she has this marky thing?" Freya asked, gesturing to her right hand. Hiccup nodded.  
"I taught her how to ride a dragon some time ago. I haven't seen her since." Hiccup explained.  
 _ **"Not to mention, her dragon fits the description of one of the Riders in the prophecy."**_ Toothless added. Freya looked more confused.  
"Basically, an old, but true, story says that 6 Riders with the mark will appear, and the story tells us a little bit about each of the dragons." Hiccup explained. Freya nodded, finally understanding.  
"What does the story say about Nighty and Toothy?" Freya asked. Hiccup chuckled at Freya's nicknames for the dragons, while Toothless groaned.  
"The story says that one dragon is black as night, and another rides the lightning." Hiccup explained. Freya nodded again.  
"So Toothy is the black one and Nighty is the one that rides lightning?" She asked. Hiccup nodded.  
"Right. And, if I'm correct, my friend rides the dragon that has steel scales." Hiccup explained. Freya nodded and snuggled close to Hiccup with a yawn.  
"You can take a nap if you want. It'll be about another 2 hours before we reach my friends home." Hiccup said. Freya smiled gratefully and lay against her new father, smiling contently. Hiccup couldn't stop a happy smile from forming on his face as he watched his daughter fall asleep.

* * *

Hiccup, Toothless, Freya, and Nightling landed on an island that had a single hut on top of one of the mountains.  
"Psst. Freya. Wake up, we're here." Hiccup said, shaking the sleeping girl awake. She yawned and stretched, taking in her surroundings.  
"Is this your friend's home?" She asked sleepily, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Hiccup nodded and picked her up. He placed her on the couch in the hut and took his cloak off, placing it over her like a blanket.  
"You can go back to sleep if you want. It doesn't look like my friend is here. I'll wake you up when she gets back." Hiccup said. Freya nodded and lay down, closing her eyes. It wasn't long before she fell asleep again. Hiccup smiled at the sight.  
"She really is adorable." He mused. Toothless warbled in agreement and lay down on one of the rock slabs in the hut, breathing fire on it to warm it up. He lay down to take a nap, following Freya's lead into dreamland. Hiccup chuckled.  
"Well, I'm gonna cook something." He said and pulled out a raw fish from his satchel. He went into the kitchen and began cooking the fish.

It wasn't long before Hiccup emerged from the kitchen, holding a plate with a cooked fish on it. He sat down on the couch next to the sleeping Freya and ate peacefully. He noticed Aquamarine sleeping peacefully on one snoring Toothless' head. He chuckled at the sight and continued eating, a book in his free hand. As he was reading, he heard a familiar roar, coupled with the flapping of metallic wings. Hiccup smirked and shook Freya awake.  
"My friend is here." He whispered. Freya nodded and yawned, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. The dragon landed outside the hut and the Rider walked in.  
"Hiccup!" She said excitedly and pulled her hood down, revealing silver hair and icy all blue eyes with slits for pupils.  
"I knew it!" Hiccup exclaimed as he saw her. She looked at him with confusion.  
"I knew you would be marked!" he exclaimed as he took his dragon appearance on and showed her his mark. She looked at him with wide eyes and a smile. She ran to him and hugged him tightly.  
"I'm not gonna be alone forever." She whispered happily. Hiccup smiled and hugged her back.  
"Daddy?" Freya asked Hiccup confusedly. Hiccup and the mysterious woman separated, and the woman gasped when she noticed Freya's yellow slitted eyes and purple tipped black hair.  
"Is she…?" the woman asked. Hiccup nodded.  
"This is my adoptive daughter, Freya." Hiccup introduced.  
"Freya, this is Daddy's friend, her name is Heather. I guess you could call her your Aunt." Hiccup said with a smile. Heather closed her eyes and her hair faded into black. She opened her eyes revealing emerald green eyes. She knelt down close to Freya and picked her up gently.  
"Hi. I'm Heather." She said with a smile. Freya smiled brightly.  
"I'm Freya! That's Nighty!" Freya said, pointing to the sleeping Skrill. Heather chuckled.  
"That's Windshear." Heather said, gesturing to the Razorwhip in the hut.

"So, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" Heather asked Hiccup as they sat on the couch while Freya played with Windshear.  
"Toothless told me about a prophecy. It states that 6 true Riders will appear when the world needs them the most." Hiccup explained. Heather nodded.  
"What made you think I was one of them?" She asked.  
"The story gave a brief description of the dragons that the Riders had with them. One of them were described as having steel scales." Hiccup explained.  
"And then Windshear came to mind?" Heather asked. Hiccup nodded in response.  
"I came here to see if my hunch was correct." Hiccup said. Heather giggled a little bit.  
"Low and behold it was." She said with a grin Hiccup chuckled too.  
"Anyway, now that I know you are a true Rider, I figured I'd offer you a home on Midnight Isle, so that we could recreate the Dragon Rider Order." Hiccup said. Heather's eyes widened.  
"Are you sure? I mean, last time you blindfolded me before we flew there." She said. Hiccup chuckled and nodded.  
"I know. I didn't know if I could trust you then. But, if you're a true Rider, I know I can. What do you say?" He asked. Heather smiled at him brightly and nodded.  
"I accept the offer." She said. Hiccup smiled back.  
"Perfect. We leave tomorrow." He said. Heather nodded.  
"You up for some yak chops?" She offered. Hiccup nodded vigorously.  
"You have to ask? Your yak chops are the best!" He said in a raised voice. Heather giggled at him and headed for the kitchen.  
"This changes everything." Hiccup muttered as he thought about the true Riders.

 **A/N: The first, and only, person to guess correctly was NightStormPheonix! Nicely done. ;)**


	11. Training

"So, how long have you been marked?" Hiccup asked Heather as they flew towards Midnight Isle on their dragons.  
"Windshear burned my upper left arm about two months after I left you guys. As it healed, it showed the mark. Since then, Windshear explained to me what a true Rider is." Heather explained. Hiccup nodded.  
"So, your situation is similar to mine then." He stated. Heather nodded.  
"Have you trained in magic?" Hiccup asked. Heather shook her head.  
"No. I haven't been able to find any books or sorcerers, so my magic is limited to setting things on fire." Heather explained, somewhat deflated. Hiccup chuckled.  
"I'll teach you what I know, and lend you my books." He said with a smile.  
"You'd do that for me?" heather asked with wide eyes. Hiccup nodded.  
"We're both true Riders; that makes you my kin and family. And I'd do anything for family." Hiccup explained with a smile. Heather smiled gratefully and thanked him.

The group was still another hour away from Midnight Isle, when Hiccup noticed a glint of light coming from a nearby island. It seemed to flash in and out of existence.  
"Heather! I think someones trying to signal us!" Hiccup called out to his friend, pointing to the island. Heather nodded and the group adjusted their course. As they landed, Hiccup and Heather dismounted their dragons.  
"Freya, I want you to stay here with Toothless and Nightling, OK?" Hiccup asked his daughter, who nodded in response. Hiccup smiled and kissed the girl on her forehead.  
"Thank you Sweetie. I'll be back soon." He said. Freya smiled and nodded.  
"Take care of her you two." Hiccup whispered to the Night Fury and Skrill, who nodded.  
"Windshear, circle around us from above, just to keep an eye on things." Heather instructed her dragon.  
 _ **"Understood."**_ Windshear said and took off to do as instructed.  
"Let's go Heather, keep your weapon ready though." Hiccup said as he drew Nightwing with his left hand. Heather nodded and pulled her axe off of her back.

The two carefully walked through the island's forest, ready to attack if necessary.  
"Any idea of who would signal us like that?" Heather whispered. Hiccup shrugged his shoulders.  
"It could be one of the people I taught to ride dragons, since they'd recognise Toothless anywhere, but it could also be a trap." Hiccup said. Heather let out a sigh.  
"Well. That's reassuring." She remarked. Hiccup chuckled, but stopped stiff.  
"Something wrong?" Heather asked in a whispered. Hiccup held his finger to his lips to tell her to be quiet. She nodded and readied her weapon. Hiccup reached to his boot and unsheathed his dagger from it. Holding it by the blade, he threw it behind him, almost hitting the person tailing them.  
"Hiccup! Was that necessary?" A male voice called out. Hiccup knew that voice and turned to face the owner of said voice.  
"Eret? What are you doing here?" Hiccup asked in shock as the former Dragon Trapper approached him and handed him his knife.  
"Well, I was flying around the entire archipelago to find you, but Skullcrusher all of a sudden turned and landed on this island, shaking me off his back. I've been here for a month. Imagine my surprise, and delight when I see you and another 2 dragons flying by." Eret explained with his hands on his hips. Hiccup nodded.

"OK, let me just get the others." Hiccup said. Eret nodded. Hiccup let out a loud whistle to call Nightling, Windshear and Toothless to him. Two minutes later, the three dragons landed, or ran towards in Toothless' case, by the group of Riders.  
"Is that a child on Toothless?" Eret asked in surprise. Hiccup nodded.  
"Eret, this is my adoptive daughter, Freya. Freya, this is Daddy's old friend, Eret." Hiccup introduced. Freya smiled brightly and waved at Eret.  
"Hi!" She said cheerfully. Eret laughed and waved back.  
"So, Hiccup, who is this?" Heather asked.  
"Heather, this is Eret, Son of Eret. Eret, Heather." Hiccup introduced. Eret smiled and extended his hand. heather smiled back and shook it.  
"So, where's Skullcrusher?" Hiccup asked. Eret groaned and gestured to them to follow. They followed him, and were confused what they found: Skullcrusher was taking a nap in front of a cave, completely blocking the entrance.  
"He's been here the whole time we've been on this island. Only get's up to go get food. He refuses to let me on his back." Eret explained. Hiccup looked at the Rumblehorn with confusion.  
"That is unusual. Toothless, will you go talk to him?" Hiccup asked. Toothless nodded. Hiccup smiled at his dragon and took Freya out of the saddle, just in case.

"Hiccup, I've been meaning to ask you about something." Eret said while Toothless conversed with Skullcrusher.  
"What do you need?" Hiccup asked. Eret pulled up his sleeve and showed Hiccup his upper right arm. Hiccup, Freya and Heather gasped at what he saw: the Dreki Insignia.  
"Skullcrusher did this to me a few days before we arrived here. What is it?" Eret asked, noticing their surprise.  
"That's the Dreki Insignia." Hiccup said and pulled his left glove off, showing Eret his mark. Eret's eyes widened as the group all showed him their marks.  
"You're a true Rider, like us." Hiccup said in shock. Eret tilted his head in confusion, and Hiccup went on to explain what a true Dragon Rider is.  
"So, I can hear dragon's voices, use magic, I will develop the abilities of other dragons, and I have eternal life?" Eret asked in shock. Hiccup nodded.  
"You're 23 right now, correct?" Hiccup asked. Eret nodded.  
"You'll stop aging when you reach 24." Hiccup explained.

" _ **Hiccup."**_ Toothless called out to his Rider as he approached.  
"So, what's up with Skullcrusher?" Hiccup asked. Toothless let out a small chuckle.  
 _ **"It's mating season for his kind, and he has to stay here with his mate until the eggs hatch."**_ Toothless explained with a grin.  
"I can hear him." Eret said in shock.  
"Skullcrusher must not have talked whilst you've been here." Hiccup mused.  
"So, how long until the eggs hatch?" Heather asked. Toothless shrugged.  
 _ **"There's no way to tell for certain, but I would wager another 3 days or so."**_ Toothless said. Eret let out a sigh of relief.  
"So I can leave then? With Skullcrusher?" Eret asked. Hiccup nodded.  
"Or sooner, with us. Toothless, tell Skullcrusher that The Night Rider is offering him, his mate, and his hatchlings a home on Midnight Isle." Hiccup said. Toothless nodded and relayed the message.  
 _ **"He accepts the offer, and he and his mate would like to leave today, with the eggs, so that they can hatch in a safe environment."**_ Toothless explained.  
"That makes sense. There are a lot of wolves and snakes here. I sometimes wonder how I survived." Eret said with a shudder. Hiccup chuckled and Skullcrusher approached, looking regretful at his Rider.  
 _ **"I'm sorry Eret, the pheromones from female Rumblehorns have an effect on the males' minds."**_ Skullcrusher said as he placed his head against Eret's chest in apology.  
"Don't worry about it. It's nice to able to talk to you now though." Eret said with a chuckle. Skullcrusher returned the chuckle.

"OK, firstly, nice to see you again Skullcrusher. Second, how many eggs do you have?" Hiccup asked the large dragon. The Rumblehorn gave Hiccup a smile.  
 _ **"Nice to see you too Hiccup. My mate and I have 3 eggs."**_ The Rumblehorn explained. Hiccup nodded.  
"Eret, Heather and I will each carry one. Is that acceptable with you and your mate?" Hiccup asked.  
 _ **"It is."**_ A female voice said. The group all turned their heads to the cave, seeing a female Rumblehorn with mostly blue scales and some purple emerging.  
"Hello there. I am the Night Rider, Hiccup Ryder." Hiccup introduced himself.  
 _ **"I am Stormbreaker. Nice to meet you, I have heard a lot about the Night Rider."**_ Stormbreaker said as she allowed Hiccup to touch her snout.  
"This whole 'dragon voices' thing is going to take some getting used to." Eret said with shake of his head. Hiccup and Heather chuckled.  
"Not as much as you would think. Shall we go?" Hiccup asked the group, who all agreed.

Hiccup and Freya mounted Toothless, Eret mounted Skullcrusher, and Heather mounted Windshear, each of the adult humans holding an egg,  
"Midnight Isle is about an hour and a half away." Hiccup said to the group, who nodded in understanding and all took off, following Hiccup to the island.  
"So Eret, how do you and Hiccup know each other?" Heather asked.  
"I used to be a Dragon Trapper for Drago Bludvist, but he was quite an abusive boss. So, I helped Hiccup escaped, and asked him to take me with him. He agreed and taught me to ride Skullcrusher." Eret explained, patting Skullcrusher's head with a smile. Skullcrusher cooed happily in response.  
"Wait, you gave me the key?!" hiccup asked in shock. Eret nodded.  
"Didn't I mention it?" Eret asked. Hiccup shook his head. Eret smiled sheepishly and apologised.  
"Anyway, now we have 4 true Riders. The Order should be up and running in few years." Hiccup said with a smile.  
"Order?" Eret asked. Hiccup gave Eret a short explanation about the prophecy and the The Order of Dragon Riders.  
"Wow…" Eret muttered. Hiccup nodded.  
"I know. Anyway, I'm planning on having the 6 initial Riders be some kind of a council to The Order, or a group of leaders. Not sure what to call it yet. Do you two and your dragons accept?" Hiccup asked. They all nodded with a smile. Hiccup smiled back gratefully.

* * *

"This is amazing!" Eret exclaimed as they all landed on Midnight Isle.  
"Welcome to Midnight Isle!" Hiccup welcomed his friends to his home, and now theirs.  
"Wow!" Freya whispered in awe at all the dragons flying around.  
"Don't worry about any dragons hurting you. They should sense tht you are true Riders, and leave you alone, or maybe say hi." Hiccup explained. As was about to show them around, when a sudden tremor hit the island. It was quick, but big.  
"What was that?" Heather asked in concern.  
"Oh the Gods hate me…" Hiccup muttered as he facepalmed. Out of nowhere, a dragon burst from the ground. It had the build of a Whispering Death, but it was completely white and had a longer head, with bright red eyes that could bore a whole right into your very soul. Not to mention, it was HUGE. The dragon let out a scream and charged towards Hiccup, teeth bared. Hiccup cringed his whole body as he heard Freya scream. The dragon suddenly stopped, inches away from Hiccup, who laughed nervously.  
"Hehe… Hi Moonfang…" he muttered, fearing for his life. The dragon narrowed its eyes and whacked Hiccup with the tip of its tail.  
 _ **"WHERE. HAVE. YOU. BEEN!?"**_ The dragon screamed. Its voice suggested it was a female.  
"I'm sorry! Didn't Nightling tell you I'd be gone for a while when she dropped off Isebane?" Hiccup asked Moonfang, who narrowed her eyes at him.  
 _ **"When you say 'a while,' it's usually only a week at most!"**_ The dragon hissed. Hiccup facepalmed at his idiocy. He should have told Nightling to elaborate on how long he'd be on Berk.  
"You're right, I'm sorry Moonfang." Hiccup said as he extended his hand. Moonfang narrowed her eyes and looked at Hiccup for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, she pressed her massive snout against his hand.  
 _ **"I'll forgive you, just this once though. There will be repercussions next time."**_ Moonfang growled. Hiccup swallowed and nodded.

"Uuh, Hiccup? You mind introducing us to your friend?" Heather asked nervously. Hiccup snapped back to reality and faced his friends.  
"Riders, this is Moonfang. She is a rare sub-species of the Whispering Deaths. I call her a 'Screaming Death,' because she releases a scream that disorients dragons and messes with their flight." Hiccup explained. The gang nodded, still somewhat frightened by the massive white beast.  
"Moonfang, these are my friends, Eret and Heather. They are true Riders, like me. Their dragons are a Rumblehorn named Skullcrusher, and a Razorwhip named Windshear, respectively" Hiccup introduced. Moonfang bowed her head in respect to the Riders.  
 _ **"And the hatchling?"**_ She asked curiously, eying Freya.  
"That is my adoptive daughter, Freya. She is also a true Rider." Hiccup explained. Moonfang nodded and flew back into the tunnel she came out of.  
"So, shall we get you settled in your homes?" Hiccup asked the group, who all nodded, still completely bewildered at what they witnessed.

* * *

The next day, everybody had settled into a cave of their choice with the basic needs, Freya was staying with Hiccup. The group was sitting across from Hiccup, on the beach, each in a meditative position.  
"To use magic requires concentration, willpower, and determination. When you speak the words of power, they resonate with the magical energy within your body, allowing you to manipulate it." Hiccup explained. The group nodded in understanding, even Freya who, though very young, was a very clever girl.  
"For now, I will show you a few very basic spells, first of which: to set an object on fire." Hiccup said as he opened a chest next to him and pulled out four candles. Since it wasn't a windy day, candles would work fine on a beach. He set one candle in front of each Rider, himself included.  
"You must concentrate of the candle wick, and when you speak the word of power, focus the energy into the wick." Hiccup explained and demonstrated.  
"Incendia." He chanted, loud enough for the group to hear clearly. His eyes flashed yellow and the candle in front of him set alight with a purple flame, which faded into orange in a few seconds.  
"Wow…" Eret muttered. The group nodded in agreement.

"Now, give it a try." Hiccup instructed.  
"Take a deep breath first though, it helps with the concentration. And take your time." He added. The group nodded and did as he said. After half a minute, Heather decided to try the word of power.  
"Incendia." She chanted. Her eyes flashed orange and her candle set alight in bright sky blue flames, which faded to orange.  
"Very well done Heather." Hiccup praised with a smile. Heather smiled giddily at what she could do.  
"Incendia." Freya whispered. Her eyes flashed white and the candle set alight in a dark blue flame that faded to orange. Eret followed suit, and his eyes flashed blue and the candle set alight in a dark orange flame, that faded into a lighter shade. Hiccup noticed Eret's change in appearance: his brown eyes were now moss green, and his hair was DARK maroon at the tips.  
"Well done everybody, well done." Hiccup said with a smile. The group smiled back gratefully.

"I have a question?" Eret asked. Hiccup nodded.  
"Shoot." He said.  
"Why did the flames start as one colour, and fade into another?" Eret asked. Hiccup grinned and held up his left hand. A ball of purple fire erupted about a centimetre above his palm. The gang gasped at the flames.  
"Every true Rider has his/her own flame. Since you have dragon blood in your veins, you will have dragon flames. The colour depends on what dragon you ride. I have purple flames because Toothless is a Night Fury, and his plasma blasts are purple." Hiccup explained.  
"So, my flames will be sky blue, like Windshear's?" Heather asked. Hiccup nodded.  
"Freya, your flames will be dark blue, like Nightling's lightning, and Eret, your flames will be dark orange, like Skullcrusher's." Hiccup explained. The group nodded in understanding.  
"And your claws will match your dragon's scales." Hiccup added. They all looked at him in confusion. Hiccup smirked at them and drew his claws from his left hand. The group looked at the one-inch black claws that grew from Hiccup's fingertips with wonder and shock.  
"The flames and claws take time to master. I only know as much as I do from an old book I found, written by the true Riders." Hiccup explained. After another hour of teaching the Rider's a few basic spells, the group went their separate ways, but Freya stayed with Hiccup.  
"Do you wanna go see some of the dragons?" Hiccup asked his daughter, who nodded eagerly. Hiccup smiled and picked her up. He placed her on Toothless' saddle, and then sat on it behind her, holding her with his arms.  
"Once Nightling grows to a decent size, I'll make a saddle for her so that you can ride her." Hiccup said as they took. Freya smiled gratefully and snuggled up to her father, happy with her new life.

 **A/N: Who thought that Eret would be the fourth Rider?**


	12. New Riders

"OK Astrid, show me what you got." Hiccup with a grin. He and the gang were in the kill ring, now known as the Dragon Academy, where Hiccup would teach the citizens of Berk to train dragons, if they wanted to. So far, the gang, Stoick, and Gobber were his only students.  
"Well? What do you think?" Astrid asked with a grin, displaying… Absolutely nothing.  
"Of what?" Snotlout asked.  
"My dragon's stealth skills." Astrid said with a smirk, pointing to Snotlout's helmet. Sneaky was sitting down on Snotlout's head, without any of us noticing. The gang applauded her.  
"Nicely done Astrid, nicely done." Hiccup complimented. Astrid smiled gratefully and nodded. It was now Fishlegs' turn. He had 5 crates set up, each with an object on them. He shuffled through 5 pieces of paper, and randomly picked out one, showing the picture on it to his Terror. It was a sword.  
"Iggy, bring me this." He said to the red Terror. The dragon warbled and flew over to the crate with the sword, picked it up by the handle, and flew it Fishlegs, dropping it in his hand and lying down on his shoulder. They all applauded again.  
"Very well done." Hiccup complimented.

After all the tests, Astrid, Fishlegs, Gobber and Stoick were the only ones to pass.  
"Ruff, Tuff, Snotlout, I want the 3 of you to have something different for me next month." Hiccup said. The trio groaned and left the arena.  
"As for you guys, you all pass to the next level. I'll have Sharpshot fly to Midnight Isle to retrieve your dragons. I've already picked out the perfect dragons for you all." Hiccup said with a smirk to the group. They all smiled and nodded. Everybody left except Stoick.  
"Are you sure you want to train and ride a dragon?" Hiccup asked his father skeptically as he went over to Toothless.  
"I am Son. I think it's time I move past your mother's disappearance." Stoick said with a sad smile. Hiccup returned the smile and nodded. He went over to Sharpshot, who was laying down on Toothless' saddle, and whispered the names of the dragons in the Terror's ear.  
"You got that?" Hiccup asked.  
 _ **"I got it!"**_ Sharpshot chirped and shot out of the arena.  
"It takes six hours to get to Midnight Isle by flight. So, the dragons should be here by early tomorrow morning. I told Sharpshot that they could sleep in the cove when they arrive, and to be here at the Academy by noon." Hiccup explained. Stoick nodded with a smile and they exited the arena.

"So, how goes the training with Freya?" Stoick asked casually.  
"Great, actually. She's grasped magic greatly. For someone so young, she is smart." Hiccup said with a smile.  
"Will she be OK with all the dragons there? Alone?" Stoick asked with concern. Hiccup shook his head.  
"She's not alone. There are two other true Riders there." Hiccup shrugged.  
"I thought you said you were the only one?" Stoick asked in shock. Hiccup nodded.  
"I thought I was. But, Toothless told me about a prophecy that involves six true Riders, me being the first." Hiccup went on to explain the prophecy and who Heather and Eret were.  
"All that's left is the vanity dragon, and the white dragon." Hiccup finished. Stoick looked thoughtful as they entered the house.  
"So, the last one is going to be your son/daughter?" Stoick asked. Hiccup shrugged.  
"I don't know. It could be the child of any pair of true Riders." Hiccup said as he and his father sat on the couches. Stoick nodded in understanding.

"Oh, about the title heir…" Stoick said, trailing off as he saw the look on his son's face.  
"I had an idea about that." Hiccup said. Stoick made a 'go on' gesture.  
"When the time comes for you to step down, I'll take over as chief, if you haven't found a suitable heir by that time." Hiccup started.  
"If I do become chief, I'll continue the search for a suitable heir, and step down once he/she is ready. Is that acceptable?" Hiccup asked. Stoick smiled at his son brightly and nodded.  
"That is an excellent idea Son." Stoick said with a proud smile. Hiccup smiled back at his father. After spending some time with Stoick, Hiccup took Toothless out for their daily flight.

* * *

The next day, Hiccup and Toothless were in the Academy, waiting for the dragon trainees. The dragons were waiting in the forest for Hiccup to call them. After 10 minutes of waiting, the four soon-to-be Dragon Riders entered.  
"Hello everybody." Hiccup greeted with a smile, which everybody returned.  
"Right this way please." Hiccup said as he exited the arena and stopped at the edge of the cliff. The trainees followed him.  
"Ladies first." Hiccup declared with a smile, and asked Astrid to step forward. She obliged happily, eager to meet her dragon. Hiccup let out a loud whistle, and a beautiful blue Deadly Nadder flew out of the forest and landed beside him.  
"Astrid, this is Stormly. Stormfly, Astrid." Hiccup introduced them. Stormfly was eying Astrid with a calculative gaze. _ **  
"She is a strong woman. Beautiful and intelligent too; a perfect fit for me."**_ Stormfly said. Hiccup rolled his eyes at the Nadder's vanity.

"Astrid, I chose Stormfly for you because of how similar you two are." Hiccup said to the girl, who nodded.  
"You're both strong, intelligent, beautiful, and above all, deadly." Hiccup said with a smirk. Astrid felt her cheeks heat up when Hiccup called her beautiful.  
"Now, do as you did with the Terror. Dragon riding begins, and ends, with trust." Hiccup said, gesturing to Astrid's axe. Astrid nodded in understanding and set her axe on the ground. She slowly approached the Nadder. When she got close enough, she held out her hand and looked away. Stormfly analysed Astrid's body language for a moment, and determined Astrid's trust to be genuine. She pressed her snout against Astrid's palm, closing her eyes. Hiccup smiled and applauded.  
"Congratulations, you have officially bonded with a dragon." Hiccup said with a smile. Astrid looked at Hiccup with a disbelieving smile and nodded gratefully. She could feel the bond with Stormfly she had formed as she scratched Stormfly under her chin, eliciting happy purrs from the Nadder.  
"Who's next?" Hiccup asked the remaining dragon trainees with a smirk.

After an hour, the remaining trainees had their dragons standing beside them. Stoick had Thornado, the blue Thunderdrum from before. They were both strong, stubborn, fierce in battle, and a father; Thornado had three hatchlings named Bing, Bam, and Boom. Gobber had a Hotburble named Grump. They were both generally kind souls, but would fight to the death with everything they had if their loved ones were in danger. Fishlegs had a Gronckle named Meatlug. There were both gentle and docile spirits and favored knowledge over combat. Hiccup knew he had chosen the best possible dragons for the group.

"One thing to remember: these dragons are not pets, they are your friends, your equals, and you must treat them as such." Hiccup explained.  
"The Terrible Terrors can be seen as pets because they prefer that life. They don't have to do too much work, and they get food and affection." Hiccup added. The trainees nodded in understanding.  
"Now, I have saddles for each of your dragons. You can choose to fly now, or take your dragons for a walk in the forest to bond." Hiccup said to the group. Stoick and Gobber decided to bond, while Astrid and Fishlegs decided to fly. Hiccup smiled at the two and placed the respective saddles on the dragons. He helped them mount their dragons, and then mounted Toothless.  
"OK, we're going to start with a simple straight line and turn." Hiccup explained.  
"We will take off, fly in a straight line for five minutes, turn around, and land back here. You clear?" Hiccup asked. Astrid and Fishlegs nodded with determination in their eyes. Hiccup smiled and nodded. The trio took off, with a slight startled scream from Fishlegs, but otherwise relatively smoothly.  
"This is amazing!" Fishlegs exclaimed as they flew. Hiccup smiled at him.  
"It is. Never before have I ever felt more at home than in the air." Hiccup said as he took a deep breath of the sky's air.  
"I can see why. This is breathtaking." Astrid said in amazement as she mimicked Hiccup's deep breath.  
"OK, turn!" Hiccup instructed. He leaned slightly to the left and Toothless followed suit, turned them in a wide circle. Astrid and Fishlegs followed his lead. After another five minutes, the trio landed where they had taken off.  
"Nicely done you two." Hiccup said with a smile. Fishlegs and Astrid returned the smile.

"OK, tonight at 6pm, we'll fly to another island to see how you handle long-term flights. In the morning, I must return to Midnight Isle. I promised Freya I'd be back in two days." Hiccup said. Astrid Fishlegs nodded.  
"Your dragons will be fine sleeping outside on the rooves of your houses. They prefer to sleep under the stars. If it starts raining, they'll go to the forest." Hiccup explained.  
"Where will we be going?" Astrid asked. Hiccup pointed south.  
"There's an uninhabited island that way, with very few wild dragons. We'll camp there for the night, so pack your stuff." Hiccup instructed. After giving Astrid and Fishlegs a debriefing of what they need for the night, the Riders went their separate ways and began to pack.

* * *

"Astrid sweetheart, what are you doing?" Astrid's mother, Asta, asked her daughter when she saw her packing.  
"Dragon training. Hiccup's taking us to an island about 2 hours flight away and we're going to camp there." Astrid explained as she packed her stuff into a basket.  
"Oh really?" Asta asked with an evil smirk. Astrid glared at her mother.  
"It's not like that Mom." Astrid growled. Asta chuckled at her daughter.  
"Really? You think I haven't noticed you glancing at Hiccup's rear end when he mounts his dragon?" Asta asked with a raised eyebrow, still smirking. Astrid exploded into a blush. She would never admit it, but her mother was right. Hiccup's butt was cute, how could Astrid resist sneaking a peek?  
"Mom…" Astrid groaned.  
"Those 'buns of steel' look like they'd be fun to squeeze." Asta teased. Astrid's blush deepened, if that was even possible.  
"MOM!" She screamed. Asta burst out laughing.  
"Oh dear, you are a joy to tease." Asta said through her laughter as she wiped her tears away. Astrid just huffed and turned away, blushing redder than blood.  
"I'm out of here." Astrid growled and grabbed her basket. She stomped out of her house, ignoring her mother's laughter and not noticing the spy that was standing next to her house.

Snotlout was livid. He heard the whole conversation. He knew Astrid liked Hiccup! How could she like the fishbone when a real Viking was available to her? If she had just stopped her hard to get act, they would be married by now!"  
"Hiccup, you're not taking my Astrid away from me, or my chieftainship." Snotlout growled as he stomped back to his house.  
"How am I gonna get rid of him?" Snotlout asked himself as he entered his house. He noticed Pain chewing on a bar of Gronckle Iron that Snotlout had bought, since he seemed to enjoy chewing on the steel more than his leg. Snotlout noticed Pain's wings were folded back.  
 _"A downed dragon is a dead dragon."_ Gobber's words from six years prior echoed in Snotlout's ears, and he smirked, a plan forming in his head.

* * *

"You guys ready?" Hiccup asked Fishlegs and Astrid as they walked over to him with their dragons. They smiled and nodded in response.  
"We're ready." Astrid said as she mounted Stormfly.  
"As are we." Fishlegs said as he mounted Meatlug. Hiccup smiled at his friends, and mounted Toothless, not noticing Astrid glancing at his butt.  
 _"I have got to stop that."_ Astrid thought to herself with a blush as she turned away.  
"Uh Astrid? You OK? You look a little red in the face." Hicccup commented. Astrid snapped out of her daze and shook her head.  
"I'm fine! I just uh… Ran here rather quick." She answered quickly, her blush deepening. Hiccup shrugged and bought her lie before instructing them all to take off.  
 _"That was a close one."_ Astrid thought with a sigh of relief as the three dragon riders flew towards the island Hiccup had mentioned.

 **A/N: So, Snotlout is plotting something, what could it be? And does Astrid take pleasure in glancing at Hiccup's butt? Find out soon!**


	13. Blades

Astrid yawned and stretched her muscles as she woke up to the bright morning sun. She noticed she was leaning against Stormfly's side, with the Nadder's wing draped over her. Astrid smiled at the dragon. Never before did she ever think she would become friends with a dragon. She looked around and took in her surroundings. The island that she, Fishlegs and Hiccup had spent the night on was rather small, as far as islands go. There were a lot of trees, and a few beaches, like the one they were camping on, and very few wild dragons. Since they arrived, Astrid had only seen a wild Nadder or two, along with a Timberjack. She looked at where Hiccup and Toothless were supposed to be sleeping, only to see a small rock with a note under it, to keep it from blowing away. She grabbed the note and read it.

 _Astrid and/or Fishlegs_

 _I had to leave, since Nightling would have come looking for me if hadn't left by sunrise, and I don't like the thought of her being alone on Berk with all the Vikings. Not to mention, if I'm not back by the time I promised, a very dangerous dragon may attack Berk to find me._

 _From what I've seen, you two have bonded with your dragons pretty well, so I'm certain you'll be able to get back to Berk without any problems._

 _Be sure to take them out for a flight every morning before breakfast, and every evening before going to bed._

 _I've included a list of attacks and moves that your dragons will understand, so spend about an hour every day in the training arena practicing them and getting more in synch with your dragon. I'll be back in about a month to check your progress. Please show Gobber and my father what I've shown you since yesterday._

 _Hiccup_

 _P.S. You don't have to worry about feeding your dragons; they'll get food themselves from the forest or the ocean whenever they're hungry._

Astrid smiled at the letter and checked the list of attacks for Stormfly. They seemed to be pretty basic, so she was certain she and Stormfly would be able to master them in a month.  
"Hey Fishlegs, wake up!" Astrid called out. The thick boy groaned and sat up from his spot against Meatlug's side. Astrid showed him the letter.  
"We should probably get going soon." Astrid mused as Fishlegs finished the letter. Fishlegs nodded in agreement. The pair cooked some fish for themselves, courtesy of their dragons, while said dragons went to get their own food. The pair finished their breakfast and mounted their dragons.  
"Well, let's go!" Astrid called out and the two dragons took off.

"Hey guys!" Hiccup called out to his friends as they approached him. Freya's eyes were now a bright shade of amber, and Eret's were a dark grass green. Their hair had now mostly changed to their respective dark purple and dark maroon.  
"Daddy!" Freya exclaimed happily as she hugged Hiccup.  
"Hey there Freya." Hiccup said with a smile as he returned the hug.  
"What have you guys been up to?" hiccup asked the gang after they finished their greetings.  
"Not much. Practising magic, sparring and the like." Heather said with a shrug.  
"Right, speaking of which, I need to make you guys Rider's swords." Hiccup remembered.  
"Rider's swords?" Eret asked, confused. Hiccup nodded and drew Nightwing.  
"Every Rider has a sword that matches their dragon's scales. It's like identification; it shows that you are a warrior of the dragons." Hiccup explained as the gang stared at his blade in awe.  
"I mixed some of Toothless' scales into the blade. I'll do the same with your swords, with your dragons of course." Hiccup added. Eret and Heather nodded eagerly and went to get some scales from their dragons, but Heather stopped.  
"Hiccup?" She called.  
"Yeah?" Hiccup responded.  
"Do I have to have a sword? Can you not make me an axe?" Heather asked. Hiccup shook his head.  
"A sword is the weapon of the true Riders, this style of sword specifically. But you can still carry another weapon if you choose." Hiccup explained. Heather deflated a bit, but didn't argue, and carried on for Windshear's scales. Even if it couldn't be an axe, she still wanted a cool weapon with Windshear's scales forged in!

~~Timeskip 2 weeks~~

"And they're done!" Hiccup announced, walking over to the other Riders, 3 katanas in his hands.  
"Here you go Heather. I named it Steelwing, for Windshear's wings." Hiccup said as he gave the blade to Heather. Heather gasped in awe as she drew the blade; it shone brighter than any silver she had ever seen!  
"Eret, yours is called Treeblade." Hiccup said as he gave Eret the blade. Eret smiled brightly and drew the green blade.  
"Freya, yours is called Lovescale." Hiccup said as he drew the blade to show his daughter the grey steel. It had a streak of blue down the spine.  
"I don't want you using swords yet though, I'll teach you to use a sword some other time, once you're older, OK?" Hiccup asked the girl. She pouted, but nodded.  
"With these swords, you are officially recognised as true Dragon Riders." Hiccup announced to his family, who nodded and thanked him.  
"Let's head to the beach to do some more magic training." Hiccup suggested to his daughter, who nodded. Eret and Heather went to test their new blades in a sparring match.

"When you combine multiple words together, the effects of those words will take effect all at the same time." Hiccup explained to Freya, who was sitting opposite him in their cave. They had a small table in between them.  
"Fersmatose incendia." He chanted. A ring of fire set alight on the table, making Freya gasp in wonder.  
"I added another word to the fire spell, making the flame I created form into a circle shape." Hiccup explained.  
"Now you try." He said with a gentle smile. Freya nodded and took a deep breath.  
"Fersmatose incendia." She chanted. The familiar flash in her eyes appeared, and a dark blue circle of fire set alight on the table, fading to orange. Freya laughed giddily at the magic.  
"Nicely done." Hiccup said with a smile, Freya smiled brightly at him.  
"Be careful not to use too many words though. More words need more energy, and if you use too much energy, you might hurt yourself, or even die." Hiccup warned. Freya looked at her father with wide eyes before nodding with slight shudder.  
"Scary." She whispered, making Hiccup chuckle. She then yawned.  
"Go get some rest; I can see you need it." Hiccup told her. Freya smile slightly and went to her bed, rubbing her eye tiredly as she walked.  
 _"She is so cute."_ Hiccup thought with a smile as he looked at his daughter's sleeping form.

 **A/N: Sorry for the short chapter, and the delayed update. I got a bit of writer's block; not sure where to go from here. Suggestions are welcome.**

 **Also, schoolwork has been putting a dampener on my writing time, so that is a bit of a problem.**

 **Please vote on my new pole! And review! If you review, I might feel inspired to write a bit more. :P**


End file.
